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What to look for in a kitchen chimney?
December 15, 2021
To increase efficiency and maintain the functionality of a modern Indian kitchen, the selection of the right chimney becomes crucial.
Chimneys are nowadays the most basic and integral part of kitchen designs. Over the years the electronic chimney has evolved from something of a luxury item to an essential appliance in modern kitchen designs. The chimney helps in eliminating the soot along with the foul smell of oil and grease from the kitchen. With advancements in technology, a wide variety of chimneys are available in the market. The choice of the chimney is now made not only based on functionality but also based on aesthetics as well. With new innovations in the field of kitchen appliances, there is a large array of different types of chimneys to choose from.
Types of Chimney available
Wall-mounted Chimney
The wall-mounted chimney is the most common type of chimney available in the market. These types of chimneys usually have their platforms built adjacent to the walls. Hence, the wall-mounted chimney is very popular in India.
The wall-mounted chimneys usually require ducts to release the smoke to the exterior. However, some manufacturers also make a ductless variety. Then the chimneys filter and purify the air and release it back into the kitchen. Normally, there are no cabinets to go along with such chimneys.
There is another variant of the wall-mounted chimneys known as the Island chimneys. These types of chimneys create the illusion that they are hanging out of nowhere. This variant is best suited for kitchen platforms that are located away from the walls. In India Island chimneys are mostly used in restaurants and hotels.
Straight-line Chimneys
Space is a major constraint in many Indian kitchens. Under such circumstances, instead of the more traditional wall-mounted chimneys, straight-line chimneys can be an option. Unlike wall-mounted chimneys, these extend only halfway over the cooking range and hence provides additional overhead space to store kitchen items. Apart from sucking up smoke directly from the cooktop, straight-line chimneys also suck the smoke from the other parts of the kitchen as well. This is possible because of the powerful suction ends.
Auto Clean Chimneys
Chimneys require regular cleaning especially in Indian kitchens where mostly spicy food is cooked in lots of oil. The oily soot particles and the grime stick to the filters and can affect the functioning of the chimney if not cleaned at regular intervals. To do this in a normal chimney would require manually dismantling the filters and cleaning them thoroughly. However, a new variant of chimneys comes equipped with an auto cleaning feature. These chimneys have a reservoir that can be filled with water. The way the auto-clean feature works is that the water from the reservoir is sprayed over the baffle filters to remove all the oil and soot particles.
The efficiency with which a chimney works depends on the technology and filters used in them. The different types of filters affect the performance as well as the maintenance of the chimneys.
Technology: Filter Types
Mesh filters or Cassette filters: These filters come with multiple layers of aluminum or stainless-steel mesh filters to trap the solid particles present in the kitchen smoke. So the mesh filters trap the oily and greasy particles in addition to the soot while allowing the smoke to escape. However, these filters require high maintenance. Mesh filters also reduce the suction capacity of the filters because they are prone to blockages. The best solution is to clean the filters regularly.
Baffle Filter: Baffle filters are the most common filter found in the market and most Indian chimneys have baffle filters. Baffle filters perform significantly better than mesh filters. The design in chimneys with baffle filter involves the panels on the filter to have multiple curves that allow the smoke to escape freely while restraining the grease from doing so. It is also comparatively easy to maintain a baffle filter because they require cleaning once in around 3 to 4 months. Quite a few chimney models have detachable baffle filters that can be easily removed and cleaned without any technical supervision.
Carbon filter: Carbon filters in chimneys work similarly to the ones in water purifiers. This type of filter helps in removing bad odour from the food. Made up of charcoal, a carbon filter can be used in both the duct as well as the ductless chimney models. The oil and other greasy particles stick to the carbon filters and the filter or cartage in the filter must be replaced after a period. These types of filters are also gaining popularity in India.
What to consider while selecting a chimney?
Indian Kitchens are often exposed to intensive frying and cooking for longer hours due to the use of oil, ghee, and masalas. This usually results in odour and smoke lingering in the space for longer durations, hindering ventilation and causing excess heat. “Keeping these challenges at the forefront, architects or interior designers must recommend appliances that are engineered with Indian cooking habits at its heart. Other aspects to consider are features that offer optimum suction covering the gas hobs, which allows a smoke and grime-free environment for the chef,” says Gunjan Srivastava, MD & CEO, BSH Household Appliances.
The suction power of the chimney: The suction power of chimneys is an important factor. This makes the chimney suitable for a particular kitchen size and cooking style. Normally preference is given to chimneys that can extract 10 times the volume of air in a given space. The suction power is expressed in cubic meters per hour in India. A chimney with a higher suction power is always beneficial.
Size of the chimney: A chimney less than the width of the size of the gas stove/cooking range should be avoided. Usually, chimneys are available in two sizes, 60 cm, and 90 cm. A bigger cooking top will obviously need a bigger and wider chimney.
Gunjan Srivastava, MD & CEO, BSH Household Appliances talks about the trends in the chimney and localising kitchen chimney to suit Indian requirements. According to Srivastava, depending on the size and utility of the kitchen, either wall-mounted or built under hoods/chimneys should be considered.
“For a large kitchen, a re-circulation hood is an ideal choice whereas, for smaller kitchens, consumers should opt for a duct-based hood. Bosch hoods come in a wide range of designs in 60-90 cms stainless steel as well as elegant glass. Every Bosch hood is built to offer an ambience for comfortable cooking. Some of its key features are reliable motor with aggressive “Real Suction Power” and low noise performance technology.”
Gunjan Srivastava
MD & CEO
BSH Household Appliances
How has the technology in Kitchen Chimney evolved over the years?
Over the past few years, hoods/chimneys have experienced rising consumer awareness in India owing to the rising adoption of modular kitchens and the growing purchasing power of the aspiring urban Indian.
However, compared to a decade ago, both the functionality and the exterior designs of hoods/chimney have gone through a transformation. With households becoming increasingly conscious about the aesthetic design of their homes (especially the kitchen) to entertain guests and spend quality time with the family, there’s been a sea of change in materials used to form an elegant exterior, while maintaining the efficacy of a hood that eliminates grease, heat, smoke, and smell from your kitchen. Lately, depending on the consumer, the majority of Indian households are opting for glass wall-mounted designs while the discerning individuals or HNIs prefer built-in kitchen hoods or island hoods.
Given Indian cooking style and requirements, how does the selection of chimneys change? Has Bosch launched an India-specific Kitchen Chimney?
Indian cooking style is very different from others. With insights culled out from the market, we’ve perfected the art to manufacture localised products like washing machines, dishwashers as well as chimneys/hoods for the Indian household. We’ve re-engineered Bosch’s German technology, combined with elegant craftsmanship to suit the Indian style of cooking. Bosch’s hoods are equipped with a triple-layer baffle filter that eliminates grease, heat, smoke, and odour from the kitchen space effectively. Heavy frying and long cooking sessions can leave the kitchen in a grim state. Bosch’s hoods are designed with a high suction power capacity, fitted with LED lights to provide illumination while cooking, and low noise features.
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