Which Range Hood is Best for Chinese Cooking
The best range hood for Chinese cooking will have the following features:
- 900+ CFM
- Ducts to the outside
- Stainless steel baffle filters
- At least 6” larger than your cooktop
Cuisine varies widely among different Asian cultures but, in general, their foods are cooked differently than Western-style foods. It can be difficult for a range hood to keep pace with the intensity of Chinese cooking, Indian cooking, and other Asian food.
If you cook these types of foods in your home, you want to be confident that the range hood you choose will satisfy the ventilation demands. At Proline, we often get the question: how many CFM do I need for Chinese cooking?
So we decided to provide a comprehensive guide to help you determine the best range hood for Chinese cooking.
A lot of Chinese cooking favors intensity. For example, Chinese cooking uses high heat to stir fry food in a wok and Korean cuisine involves grilling meats and fish regularly. Steaming and sautéing foods is also a common theme in Chinese cuisines.
Cooking with fish and seafood can produce a lot of odors along with the heat and moisture generated during frying and steaming.
You can probably see why Chinese cooking requires a lot of a vent hood that may not otherwise be necessary for other cooking styles. Here are some features to consider to help you find the best range hood for your Chinese cooking.
Higher CFM
The best range hood for Chinese cooking is a powerful range hood. You emit extra grease and smoke while cooking Chinese foods, and that all has to go somewhere – ideally, outside your home!
For a gas stove, you typically need 100 CFM for every 10,000 British thermal units (BTUs) your stove generates. With an electric cooktop, your minimum CFM requirements are based on the size of your stove. For every 10” of stove width, roughly 100 CFM is necessary.
With frequent Chinese cooking, though, you will be emitting more fumes than your average home does. We recommend that you add at least an additional 200-300 CFM to the number you just came up with to ensure your range hood is capable of removing all the additional contaminants from your air.
Whether you’re installing a wall range hood, under cabinet hood, or island hood, consider choosing a larger model with around 900+ CFM. Proline’s professional series range from 900 to up to 2000 CFM. They are more than capable of handling all the smoke and grease from Chinese cooking.
A Larger Hood
Our second criterion for the best range hood for Chinese cooking is size. Range hoods come in standard sizes ranging from 24” to 60”. On average, your range hood should be at least the same size as the stovetop. But for those who prepare Chinese, Indian, or other Chinese foods, it would be wise to choose a larger hood.
Plan for the hood to be a size wider than the width of your cooktop, preferably extending three to six inches over each side. For example, if your cooktop is 30” wide, a 36” or 42” range hood will be optimal. The proper overhang will ensure that the hood captures all the air from cooking, while also making the fan a little quieter.
Ducting to the Outside
Ducted venting, as opposed to ductless venting, is a better choice when choosing the best range hood for Chinese cooking. A ducted range hood not only removes contaminated air from your home but also decreases the amount of humidity and heat that remains in the kitchen while it is running.
Ductless range hoods use charcoal filters to remove contaminants then recirculate the air back through the kitchen. Even if you have a high-CFM ductless hood, it may not be sufficient to deal with the amount of smoke, steam, and grease emitted from Chinese cooking. With a more powerful range hood to compliment your intensive cooking style, we recommend opting for larger ductwork. For example, instead of four to six inches, aim for eight to 10 inches. This will ensure that all of the air your range hood produces is efficiently vented to the outside.
Be sure your ductwork is vented outside and is wide enough to handle the power of your range. Here is our ductwork sizing guide for you to use and reference as well.
Stainless Steel Baffle Filters (Not Aluminum)
The ideal filter for high-heat and high grease output cooking styles, like Chinese cooking, are stainless steel baffle filters. They allow air to pass through more easily and are simpler to maintain. Just put them in your dishwasher as often as required. Also, stainless steel baffle filters are extremely durable and will not need to be replaced. So that is a bonus.
Aluminum filters, on the other hand, frequently become caked with grease. In addition, they are more difficult and time-consuming to clean.
Most Proline range hoods come with dishwasher-safe stainless steel baffle filters to suit the high heat, moisture, and grease produced with Chinese cooking.
Remote and Inline Blowers
Vent hoods generally come with an internal (also known as local) blower. Some hoods also come with an inline blower that sits inside your ductwork.
If you happen to have a high-CFM local blower in a smaller hood, it will be much noisier. The loudness of the vent hood is measured by sones. Normal talking is anywhere from one to four sones, and light traffic can go from four to 16 sones. The sones from a Proline vent hood are roughly within two to seven and some are at just one sone on the lowest settings.
For more information on sones, check out this article. If you are planning to have high CFM with a relatively small vent hood and you want your vent hood to be quieter, we recommend that you install a remote or inline blower.
A remote blower, typically located on the rooftop or exterior wall, pulls the air through the hood and ducting to exhaust it outdoors. Inline blowers are installed in the ductwork. Unlike a local blower, which is located in the body of the vent hood, remote and inline blowers are further away and will limit the level of sound from the fan.
For more information on the different types of blowers, click here.
Maximize Clean Air with a Timer
At Proline, we recommend that you continue running your range hood after you’ve finished cooking a meal with a lot of steam and grease. The timer on your range hood will allow more complete filtering of the air in the kitchen. You won’t have to worry about remembering to shut it off.
Best Proline Range Hood for Chinese Cooking
Now that you know all about how to choose the best range hood for Chinese cooking, here are some of our favorite hoods from Proline! All of these suggestions are ducted range hoods; ductless range hoods don’t pack enough power to handle the intensity of Chinese cooking.
PLFW 832 Wall Mount Vent Hood - 36” and up
The PLFW 832 has power and then some! With an ultra-powerful 2000 CFM dual blower, you can make Chinese food to your heart’s content. This powerful motor is highly efficient, which means that you’ll enjoy a quiet motor on all the lower settings. Even the highest setting competes with vent hoods with smaller motors.
The 832 comes complete with durable stainless steel baffle filters that will catch grease and dirt with ease. This hood is easy to use thanks to a nice and bright LED display control panel to keep things simple for you in the kitchen. To top it all off, just look at the great lighting in the above photo. LED lights make it so easy for you to see and stay on-task in the kitchen!
Note: The 30-inch PLFW 832 comes with a single 1000 CFM blower, not a dual 2000 CFM blower. 1000 CFM is sufficient for Chinese cooking too, but if you’re an avid cook, definitely go with the extra power!
The 832 is available at 2000 CFM in these sizes: 36”, 42”, 48”, 54”, 60”
Here are some of the best features of our PLFW 832 range hood:
- Ultra-powerful 2000 CFM dual blower at 36” and above
- User-friendly LED display control panel
- Durable stainless steel baffle filters
- Bright, long-lasting LED Lights
Buy This Hood At
PLJW 109 2000 CFM Wall Mount Vent Hood
Our PLJW 109 wall vent hood comes in a variety of styles. The most powerful is the 2000 CFM PLJW 109. Like the 832, the 109 features bright LED lights to help you cook more efficiently. Operating the hood is easy. You can access the stainless steel push-button controls under the front of the hood. They’re unobtrusive and hidden from your guests which gives this vent hood a really sleek look.
With heavy grease and dirt produced from your Chinese cooking, the stainless steel grease filters can get dirty quick! But, the 109 is really easy to clean. All you need to do is toss the baffle filters into the dishwasher!
Tip: No matter what hood you end up with, remove your filters every three to four weeks to clean them to maximize the efficiency of your vent hood.
If all of those features weren’t enough, here’s one more. The 2000 CFM 109 is built to last, manufactured in a premium-grade 430 stainless steel.
Here’s what you can expect from your PLJW 109.
- Energy-efficient LED lights
- Premium-Grade 430 Stainless Steel
- Dishwasher-Safe Baffle Filters
- Four-Speed Stainless Steel Push Buttons
- Impressive 2000 CFM Dual Blower
Purchase yours below.
Buy This Hood At
ProSI Island Vent Hood - 36”+
The ProSI is one of our most powerful island hoods, with a robust 1800 CFM dual blower. The sleek four-speed touch panel allows you to adjust the speed to tailor it exactly to your cooking style. You can also adjust the bright LED lights that illuminate your cooktop.
Our ProSI island vent hood is easy to maintain too. Manufactured in 430 stainless steel, this hood was built to last. It is stain and scratch-resistant, making it easy to clean. Glass cleaner will do the trick!
This hood features durable stainless steel baffle filters that capture grease and dirt with great efficiency. After a few weeks when you notice that the filters are becoming dirty, simply put them in the dishwasher and you’re done!
Note: The 30” ProSI comes in 900 CFM. This is sufficient for Chinese cooking and Indian cooking but more frequent cooks should go with at least 1200 CFM.
With a ProSI, you’ll enjoy many features:
- LED Lights That Will Last You Years
- Premium-Grade 430 Stainless Steel
- Dishwasher-Safe Stainless Steel Baffle Filters
- Powerful 1800 CFM Blower at 36” and above (great for Chinese cooking!)
Try a ProSI island vent hood today.
Buy This Hood At
What are the signature Chinese cooking methods?
Some of the most popular Chinese cooking methods are Red Stewing or Red-Cooking, Braising, Steaming, Deep-Frying, Stir-Frying, Roasting, and Boiling.
Thanks for reading our guide on the best range hood for Chinese cooking. These hoods also work great for other strong-smelling or greasy foods, such as Indian food, Mexican food, fried food, grilling, and wok cooking.
Whatever your cooking style, Proline Range Hoods has the best range hood to suit your needs.
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