Modern day Kitchen Chimney

A kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a house and the lady of the house is known by how well she keeps the kitchen. A woman spends most of her time in the kitchen and if her surroundings are according to her taste and well equipped, it will be very easy for her to do the work with much enjoyment. Moreover, the food in India is very aromatic. Just a simple cooking leads to the spread of fumes in all the rooms.

The electric chimney has an answer to this problem by making the kitchen and the home as a whole a smokeless one. So among other appliances, chimneys are very important and make a home complete.

Most of the people think that kitchen chimneys are only for the show but they are unaware of the fact that everything is this world has some advantages and some disadvantages as well. Likewise kitchen chimneys also have some advantages in our kitchen work. Undoubtedly, they tend to keep your kitchen clean with the various latest functionality they have in them.

Electric chimneys are an efficient way of removing smoke and odor  from a kitchen compared to exhaust fans. An exhaust fan will remove fumes from your kitchen but not before it goes into your eyes. An electric chimney, on the other hand, is your ticket to cooking wholesome tadka meals without suffering from watery eyes.

The other advantage is that it will save the ceiling (area right above the gas oven) from being marked with everything you’ve cooked. There are two types of chimneys that you can choose from – traditional and designer. The traditional one is for the utilitarian users, who want a chimney purely for their smoke absorbing abilities, while the designer chimneys are for those who along with the utilitarian aspect want a chimney that enhances the decor of their kitchen. In other words, traditional chimney is for those users who basically focus on performance and designer chimneys provide a combination of performance with looks that makes your kitchen look elegant.

Kinds of Chimneys

There are a number of brands in the Indian market which offer a great variety of Kitchen chimneys. Two kinds of chimneys which are usually found in India are Baffle Filter and Metal Grease Filter. Baffle Filters are considered to be better than the metal grease filters in terms of Indian cooking style as baffle filters contain overlapped filters which suck the grease out with their sucking capacity. Metal grease filters have the tendency to suck the grease in proportions.

Feature to keep in mind while going for Electric Chimney

• Air Suction Capacity – This refers to the motor’s capacity to suck the odor and oily vapor and is measured as m3 per hour. An electric chimney with a higher air suction capacity is ideal for an Indian home as the cooking involves a lot of frying. For heavy cooking such as non vegetarian food or deep frying go for HIGH SUCTION that is above 401 m3/hr. For normal cooking go for MEDIUM air suction capacity at 400 m3/hr and below.

• Number of blowers – The blowers run simultaneously with the motors to provide effective exhaust of unwanted smells and oil vapours at different speeds, thus providing better operation at lower noise levels. Higher number of blowers ensures more effective removal of unwanted smells, oil and grease. If your cooking largely involves deep-frying, then going in for more number of blowers is a better option.

• Size – Consider the size of Electric Chimneys before buying, generally they are available in two sizes – 60 cms and 90 cms.

Modes/Fitting

Ducting

In the ducting mode, heavier particles of Oil/grease/spice are trapped in the baffle / mesh filter, and the smoke/fumes are ducted out of the house. Ducting requires PVC pipes. Since this is a permanent fixture, it also requires some carpentry work. But this is a good solution for those who don’t want to spend time and money on changing their charcoal filters every now and then. It is a one-time investment unlike the charcoal filters.

For ducting, check details like pipe diameter, ducting length, maximum number of bends your ducting pipe can have from your manufacturer to ensure reliability.

Recycling

In recycling mode, heavier particles of Oil/grease/spice are trapped in the baffle / mesh filter and the smoke/fumes are filtered through the activated charcoal filter. The clean, deodorized air is then re-circulated into the room.

A Few tips to remember

• While Cleaning – Cleaning is easier depending upon the filter design of the chimney – mesh filters should be washed in warm detergent water every 8-10 days. Baffle filters need to be cleaned in warm detergent water every 2-3 weeks. Charcoal filters need to be changed every 3-4 months. These time periods are for regular use.

• Install the chimney at a lower height so that you can easily reach to clean it.  This is also effective in getting the smoke out.

• It is recommended that the chimney should be at least 4 feet above the appliance cooking surface.

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