Do I really need a range hood?
SEE OUR FINISHED KITCHEN HERE!
I need to tell you my deepest darkest kitchen secret:
I do not like a range hood.
I hate them all.
I particularly detest the massive monument-to-wasted-space that has become a bizarre status symbol; like mounting a Range Rover over your stove.
Sure, you can choose one that is low-profile, but that would be in direct opposition to the opportunity to install an oversized jet-engine, directly in the place your face goes while standing at the stove.
Although obviously, (like any sensible person) I would trade a good portion of my soul for this kitchen.
Those sentences above areĀ the beginning of a post I started months agoā¦ Back when I thought I could withstand the scorn of the internet if I chose to not waste money and space onĀ an appliance that I will never use.
However.
I have since begun to fear the wrath of the Appropriate-Cooking-Evaluators: a band of angry militants who patrol the internet for violations which offend them personally; and who believe that forgoing a direct-vented range hood is akin to voluntarily injecting yourself with Ebola virusā unbelievably stupid.
Like this kitchen below– so terrible! Let’s take a moment to reflect on how badly we feel for these people that their kitchen is so subpar!
Iām practically BLIND FROM HOW HORRIBLE THIS IS.
So whyĀ would I considerĀ an about-face from hood-denier to herd-animal; when my preferred response to scorn and judgment is always to dig in my heels and run forward towards the executioner?
I guess the internet has broken me.
Specifically, a particular element to the internet that pervades every single topic that people can possibly form an opinion about: the mindset that there is ONLY ONE GOOD ACCEPTABLE WAY to do something that has zero impact on anyone else’s life.
The ONLY ONE GOOD ACCEPTABLE WAY people believe ONE THING, and then that is ALL THEY BELIEVE and they make it their lifeās work to make sure anyone not doing THE WAY is immediately disqualified from life, clapped in irons, and dragged to the town square to be flogged for idiocy.
Which, upon reflection, is the source of all human conflict through history: your own opinions are fine, but other peopleās are moronic and intolerable and deserving of the flaming cannonballs with chains.
Unless they happen to agree with you, in which case they are well-informed.
The ONLY ONE GOOD ACCEPTABLE WAY peopleās initial input is well-meaning! (If bordering on didactic and unhinged.)
But if you fail to PROPERLY HEED THEIR WARNING AND APPRECIATE THEIR WISDOMā¦they become enraged.
WHY! Why would someone WHO HAS BEEN WARNED!! Fail to instal a direct-vent range hood???
Look at THESE IDIOTS! Living without a range hood!
Imbeciles!
Ā
I am thinking specifically of a kitchen-chatboard thread, where a woman explained that it was IMPOSSIBLE to direct-vent her range hood. And she wondered if (seeing as how she couldnāt direct vent,) could she just skip the questionably-effective-substitute-which-is-essentially-just-a-fan and install a light fixture she had fallen in love with.
It was the light fixture of her dreams! A design element that would bring her peace and joy and goodwill towards all! A lamp that would improve her very existence on earth and she could die happy because SHE HAD THE BEST LAMP.
The responses variedā¦ but there were an ALARMING number of respondents who were EXTREMELY BOTHERED by the fact that this woman was not gutting her kitchen to the studs and reconfiguring everything towards the goal of direct-venting the range hoodā¦ and she should probably just go out and rent a bulldozer THAT VERY NIGHT and knock it all down to the ground while flagellating herself for having considered any other option.
Ā
They basically went on to suggest that she was a filthy, squalor-dwelling subhuman moron.
And as I read on and on and onā¦ I have to tell you that I was AMAZED at the PASSION total strangers were bringing to disparaging this woman and her lamp… I mean, who has time for lengthy screeds decrying other people’s DESIGN CHOICES?
And then I was EVEN MORE AMAZED at how these people do not realize that they look like flaming lunatics.
My FAVORITE response was from a woman who wrote:
This one time, we didnāt have a range hood, and we had to THROW AWAY ALL OF OUR BELONGINGS INCLUDING THE FURNITURE after one monthĀ BECAUSE THEY SMELLED SO FOUL AND HORRIBLEĀ from non-vented cooking odors.
I donāt know about youā¦ but that does NOT sell me on a ventā¦ it DOES, however, make me wonder WHAT THIS WOMAN IS MAKING FOR DINNER.
Anyway. All of this is to explain that I do not want a range hood.
But that I am thinking about it anyway.
Because of the internet.
And I am mad about it.
The way Iāve decided to deal with this irritating anxiety that MY kitchen in MY house designed to MY preferences might draw the ire of some random stranger on the internet is to turn it over to you.
Here’s what you need to know: our township construction code does not require one. I will not have an eight-burner stove outgassing 67 billion btu’s/therms/whatever other specs.
Ok! GO FOR IT!
This is your chance!
I WASH MY HANDS.
And if you fail to draw me out from the cave and convince me of the shadows on the wall, then you must return to your war room and inform the other ONLY ONE GOOD ACCEPTABLE WAY-ers that your method is flawed.
Please make a good argument! Definitely do not include information like this: you NEED a hood!
Because: SURPRISE! I do not!
I can prove that to you because we HAD a hood! It was direct-vented!
And I NEVER USED IT.
I never used it SO MUCH that I had Paul take it out.
Every single night I was likeā WHY IS THIS THING RIGHT IN MY FACE?
Until eventually I was like– Plague of nonsense, BE GONE!
p.s.ā save some outrage for the post where I explain how Iām thinking of not having a freezer.
xoxo,
VEB, squalor-dwelling subhuman moron, esq.
December 14, 2016 @ 2:32 pm
We have a very small, dark kitchen that is basically a hallway with two bedrooms off of it (not even really a galley) with no vent hood. Any time I cook anything other than macaroni and cheese I have to take the batteries out of all the smoke detectors and open at least the back door, sometimes also the front door too! Pretty much once a week I say to my husband, “I’m so glad we live in CA, if we lived somewhere with weather we’d never be able to cook!” So a vent hood is the stuff of dreams for me!
That being said, your kitchen is MUCH different, and you should do what you want/what works for you. š
December 14, 2016 @ 2:35 pm
I believe the person who pays the bills has final say on your kitchen renovation – if you don’t want a vent hood it won’t hurt my feelings in the least. It won’t even drive me from immensely enjoying your adventures through your blog.
I hope you’re not too disappointed.
December 14, 2016 @ 2:40 pm
We don’t have a hood, even though we have the venting already there. No big deal. I agree, that it’s just something big and stupid in the face. ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
And as for dropping your freezer: We have only an all-fridge in the kitchen, and a chest freezer in the pantry room. The arrangement works great for us. Go for it!
December 14, 2016 @ 2:42 pm
I vote for the saving of precious wall space to display fabulous Craigslist finds. Not only are range hoods ugly, they are dangerous! Those sharp little corners have dented my forehead more times that I care to recount and I could’ve lost an eye! now yes, I am tall but does that mean it is ok for me to crane my neck to check on the meatballs, hit my head and get knocked out thereby falling face first into the spaghetti sauce??? all to save the fabulous odors of my cooking from enticing everyone to eat?? Maybe if you are a bad cook, it would make sense to not have the odor drifting through the house, alerting all family members to the danger of eating your food and running out the back door to grab a pizza but my family likes my cooking.
Beside the obvious damage to your looks created by 1st degree spaghetti sauce burns and drops of blood mixing in the food from that cut on your forehead, there is also the danger of hitting your skull right in the sweet spot and ending up in the hospital with swelling of the brain and suffering from TBI for the rest of your life.
Grease permeating furnishings? Surprisingly there IS a solution without needing to ruin the look of your kitchen- a pan screen. Yep. One flat little screen that sits on top of the pan itself and traps the grease effectively. Not only that but it goes in w the dirty pans when you are done so there are no sticky filters to wash. Win win!! Space and a grease free home w smiling healthy people! TaDa!
December 14, 2016 @ 2:43 pm
Ok, so lots of comments here. I guess when we did our kitchen it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t have a range hood. I guess it was just the thing to do. I will say that the filter on it does get really dirty so if I didn’t have one that stuff would be going somewhere. This got me thinking though. Growing up I don’t think we had a vent hood in our kitchen and I think we survived just fine. I think it’s your kitchen. I’m not cooking in it, I’m not cleaning it. I think it should be your space. I have a friend that does not have a microwave or a dishwasher. Boy, did she get comments. She and her husband disassembled a barn, numbered all the pieces, and then reassembled it themselves and converted it into their home. It’s gorgeous but no microwave or dishwasher. She simply said I don’t want them, I wouldn’t use them so why have them. Good luck with your decision.
December 14, 2016 @ 2:45 pm
I have lived in houses that have not had direct vented range hoods, and it was inconvenient at times. I tend to frequently fry or pan-fry food on the stove, so there is usually a good amount of smoke which tends to float throughout the house since we don’t have a direct vented range hood. I would love to have a direct vented range hood with a cover that blends in with the cabinets, it’s less in your face than the stainless steel ones that are so popular right now. Now if you don’t really cook food that causes a lot of smoke, then I would say a vent hood is unnecessary. Since you said you never bothered using your vent hood in the past, it would probably still be useless to you now, though it may help with resale if you don’t plan to live there forever. Whatever you choose to do, it’s your kitchen and it should make you happy.
December 14, 2016 @ 2:59 pm
I’m a contractor, my husband an Architect- we wanted a window and wall sconces, not a hood in our kitchen, and we have survived this decision we made 10 years ago without incident. Don’t go downdraft- they take up way too much space, and do not function well, plus they break (call up a appliance service repair person for confirmation). We did put in a ceiling exhaust fan- flush with ceiling, cost about $150- the same kind you can install in a bath. This is helpful on some occasions (lots of steam/ things on fire). You can custom cover a bath fan to change the look.
I love your photos, and I would say go with your gut.. Kitchens are always more beautiful when they represent the character of the inhabitants! which you will have in spades..
December 14, 2016 @ 3:03 pm
I hardly EVER use my exhaust fan but I use the lights all the time. I guess I could have a fancy chandelier instead of the microwave with the exhaust fan and lights! I never thought it was allowed! I say GO FOR IT! I can’t wait to see how gorgeous I KNOW your kitchen is going to be!
December 14, 2016 @ 3:04 pm
I have a direct vent range hood. I like it, although wish I had installed the fan in the attic due to noise (hate that), I clean it regularly and it is not much of an effort — pop screens in dishwasher. The lights do not burn out quickly, are not expensive, and not too difficult to change. There are still some grease spatters on backsplash and some food smell but not significant(never cook fish in the house). HOWEVER— if I were tall —NEVER. I recommend down draft.
December 14, 2016 @ 3:07 pm
Suzen. I had a down draft Island Cooktop and hated it…WORST cooking experience when the fan was on. Food cooked unevenly with the fan on, especially on the expensive indoor grill insert. I concur with you! we shortly took it out! (I prefer my island with no inserts of stoves or sinks anyway)
December 14, 2016 @ 3:12 pm
I do not currently have a range hood and have not had one in over 25 years. I would prefer a downdraft range option, because it is less obtrusive, but my range is on an inside wall and running the vent would be very difficult. In my new kitchen addition, I have planned for a hood of some kind. We rarely ever have trouble with odors, unless I am cooking fish, or have badly burned dinner. But grease settles on surfaces all around the room: top of the fridge, curtains, picture frames, cabinet fronts… and I am lazy. I don’t want to climb up there with my Fabuloso and a rag to scrub away at greasy dust. Ick. If you would prefer spending time doing a good deep-cleaning, in sacrifice to the lovely open look of your kitchen, then by all means skip it! It is YOUR kitchen. You can strike that bargain. Go you!
December 14, 2016 @ 3:16 pm
I do not have any hood vent. I would only need to throw away all that I own if I was cooking roadkill. ???
December 14, 2016 @ 3:21 pm
Well, I don’t know if I am agreeing or disagreeing with you–I am quite tall (like you, apparently) and I did not want a range hood because I find them unattractive and annoyingly located directly at eyeball/painful-forehead-knocking height. My kitchen has no range hood. Sadly, I hate it; grease gets everywhere; cooking odors have required me to have an eyesore of an air purifier in my kitchen, which my dogs frequently knock over; and sometimes in the heat of summer I drip sweat while cooking and passionately long for something that would displace all that heat. So, unfortunately, I regret my decision and wish I had installed one. But, maybe you will feel differently? I look forward to finding out what you decide!
P.S. That comment is hilarious! I hope you were wise enough to realize it’s complete bullshit, though. People keep furniture even after their cats/dogs/children/elderly parents leave all manner of bodily fluids on them; they’re not going to throw them out for a little stale bacon odor.
December 14, 2016 @ 3:27 pm
I totally agree with you on not needing a range hood “just because”. I have the microwave over the stove with the fan that vents up over the microwave; into. the. kitchen! ( there is no direct vent access). I would not have a range hood if codes did not require it and I did not want one in my kitchen. It is wasted space and takes away from the athletics of the kitchen design. The pictures you showed were all beautiful without it! I say go with what you want!!!
December 14, 2016 @ 3:28 pm
Direct vented hoods are good because they remove greasy steam and smoke from your house as quickly as possible. Limiting the opportunity for these miasma(s? – I’ve no idea what the plural of miasma is) to redeposit their greasy cargo on your walls, cabinets, fabrics etc. Dirt and dust and pet hair then stick to the redeposited grease and craziness ensues
In short, a direct vented hood makes it easier to keep your kitchen clean and make the painted surfaces in your kitchen last longer. They have a function, and I am in favor. If you don’t mind wiping cabinets down a lot and repainting regularly, then it might not make much matter to you personally, and that’s just fine.
Recirculating hoods don’t do much if anything in terms of controlling airborn kitchen yuck, so if that’s your only option, and you dislike the aesthetics, feel free to skip it, it wouldn’t make much difference anyway.
In my personal opinion, kitchens are a space where you have to balance beauty and practicality. Where that balance falls though is personal decision.
December 14, 2016 @ 3:28 pm
PS: I rarely if ever use the fan over the stove!
December 14, 2016 @ 3:31 pm
Being a lovely, ethical, moral vegan, you don’t cook the stuff that stinks up the belongings and soul of the outraged internet morons.
December 14, 2016 @ 3:33 pm
I live without a direct-vent (or any) range hood / fan. Lived here almost 16 years and my kitchen walls occasionally get a scrub-down (annually if they’re lucky) and have never had a problem. Of course, the only foods we really fry are occasional over-easy eggs, which might make a difference. (Oh, that cherry pie that boiled over in the oven, a vent fan would have been nice.) (Also, while drooling over your kitchen photos, I imagined that those expensive stoves are magical!!! and a vent hood is not required.) Happy holidays!
December 14, 2016 @ 3:41 pm
Don’t have a range hood, I hardly use mine…..but love the lights that help me in my old age! You have a window or two in the kitchen…ta da, there’s your range hood. You are a brilliant writer, I am now reading your posts to my husband. I haven’t hit him w the GFT’s yet…LOL.
December 14, 2016 @ 3:42 pm
I am completely jealous that your town code does not require a range hood; I despise mine, and the giganto-microwave attached to it, and very much wish I could do away with it. If you succeed in designing anything approaching the pictures you have posted, more power to you!!!
Now, if you ever decide to redo the bathroom, and forego the fan, that’s another matter….