Which cooker hood do I need?

Generally speaking, the best cooker hood for you is the one that fits your kitchen layout, hob size and design preferences.

Depending on where your hob is located – on an island or against a wall – you have different cooker hood designs to choose from. Some common options: canopy cooker hoods, ceiling cooker hoods, integrated cooker hoods, glass cooker hoods. The size is primarily dictated by the width of your hob. Of course, small cooker hoods are available to suit smaller spaces.

In addition to design and size, the noise level of a cooker hood is crucial. While a completely silent cooker hood has yet to be invented, there are many low-noise models to choose from.

This is just a small taste of what to consider. Browse our cooker hood buying guide below for complete answers to your questions.

Which cooker hood to buy depends on its placement in your kitchen. More precisely, if your hob is on an island or peninsula, you have different options to choose from than if your hob is against a wall.

To determine which width of cooker hood to choose, look to your hob. The rule of thumb: to properly remove cooking odours from the kitchen, a cooker hood must be at least as wide as your hob.

60cm cooker hoods: Available as wall-mounted models , integrated models , and venting cooktops .

75cm cooker hoods: Available as wall-mounted models .

80cm cooker hoods: Available as wall models , retractable downdraft models , and venting cooktops .

90cm cooker hoods: Available as wall-mounted models , integrated models , retractable downdraft models , island chimney models , and ceiling models .

105cm cooker hoods: Available as ceiling models .

120cm cooker hoods: Available as ceiling models .

If you're also buying a new hob, redesigning your kitchen or simply yearning for a sleek aesthetic, a venting hob is worthy of a closer look, especially if your hob is on an island. A venting hob is an induction or ceramic hob with an integrated hood fan – essentially two appliances in one.

The advantages: No need to buy a separate cooker hood, no obtrusive hood fan blocking your view.

Because a cooker hood typically runs while you cook next to it, a low-noise model is highly recommendable. Anything above 70 decibels is disturbing and can lead to buyer's regret.

A low-noise cooker hood

Models that emit under 60 decibels are considered to be very quiet. Look to the energy label to see the decibel output of each model.

Pro tip: Even our most powerful cooker hoods are designed to keep noise to a minimum thanks to their aerodynamic design, stable construction and high-quality motor.

Wi-Fi-ready smart cooker hoods open up a world of new possibilities – for example when paired with the Home Connect app.

• More flexibility: Control the fan speed, light and ambient colour, sensitivity, and duration via the Home Connect app.
• Maintenance alerts: Know exactly when to clean or change the cooker hood filter.
• Voice control: Turn on the hood hands-free, for example, with Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

Innovative features on some of our models help provide a more convenient and comfortable experience with your cooker hood.

Self-regulating fan speed: PerfectAir.

A sensor constantly detects the level of odour in the air and adjusts the fan speed automatically. This ensures your kitchen air is always clean and fresh.

The hood-hob connection: AutoStart.

Turn on the hob, and your hood turns on automatically – brilliant! Even control the cooker hood on the hob. When you’re done cooking, the hood runs a little longer before switching off.

Cooker hoods are fitted with two types of filters, a grease filter and an odour filter. A metal grease and particle filter comes standards on all our models. To reduce unpleasant cooking odours in ductless hoods, our cooker hoods come fitted with an active charcoal filter, our CleanAir standard odour filter.

Does your kitchen often smell unpleasant after cooking strong-smelling foods? Our CleanAir Plus odour filter is especially effective at reducing odours. For greater convenience, our LongLife odour filter is especially long lasting. You can upgrade to either anytime.

CleanAir standard odour filter

• Reduces 60-80% of odours
• AntiFish treatment
• 6-12 month lifetime

CleanAir Plus odour filter

• Reduces over 90% of odours
• AntiFish treatment
• AntiPollen feature
• 12-18 month lifetime

LongLife odour filter

• Reduces over 80% of odours
• Up to 10 year lifetime
• Regenerate in the oven 3x/year

Pro tip: Using a CleanAir Plus odour filter also noticeably decreases the cooker hood noise level compared to a standard filter.

Which cooker hood is best? The answer depends on your kitchen layout and personal preferences. The best cooker hood brand is also a matter of personal choice. One thing we are certain of: our cooker hoods are German-engineered to please the senses. They look good, effectively reduce odours and come in low-noise models to keep the peace.

It depends on the type of hob you have. For electric hobs, the cooker hood should be installed around 45 to 64cm above the cooktop. A gas hob requires a slightly higher clearance of at least 65cm.

Ductless hoods, also known as recirculating hoods or non-vented hoods, draw in air and clean it using a grease filter and active carbon filter. The cleaned air is released back into the ambient air of the kitchen.

Similarly, extraction hoods draw in air and clean it via a grease filter. Then it's piped straight to an extraction point on the outside of your home.

Pro tip: Most of our cooker hoods can be installed as a ductless hood or an extraction hood, though you might need an adaptation kit.