If you have an exhaust fan above your stove, turn it on when you use the burners or oven, whether the appliance is gas or electric. A hood does more than clear the smell of something scorched: it can remove heat and odors while helping keep moisture and grease from accumulating on nearby surfaces.
More importantly, cooking creates very small airborne particles that contribute to indoor air pollution. Gas burners can also produce nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and other combustion byproducts. Concentrations may build up in a compact or tightly sealed room, particularly when there is little fresh-air exchange.
The practical takeaway
Use the hood every time you cook, choose a fan setting that captures visible steam and smoke, and favor the back burners when the hood covers them more effectively.
Which range hoods work best?
Range-hood performance depends on more than airflow alone. Useful considerations include how effectively the hood captures pollutants at the cooking surface, how much air it moves and how much noise it makes. Noise matters because a fan cannot help when it is so disruptive that people leave it switched off.
No single design necessarily excels in every measure. A quiet unit may move less air, while a high-powered model can be noticeably louder. Even a moderately effective hood can lower exposure when it is operated consistently, used at an appropriate setting and positioned to capture the cooking plume.
Cooking on the back burners often improves capture because those burners sit farther beneath the hood. Keep pans within the hood’s coverage, switch the fan on before cooking begins and leave it running briefly afterward when smoke, steam or odors remain.
Installation and recirculating hoods
For effective operation, install a hood at the height specified by its manufacturer and maintain its filters. A hood that exhausts outdoors can remove captured particles, moisture and combustion gases from the kitchen.
A recirculating hood pulls air through filters and returns it to the room. It may trap some grease and odors, but it does not provide the same removal of moisture and gaseous pollutants as an outdoor-vented system. If replacing or installing equipment, compare independently certified airflow and sound ratings from the Home Ventilating Institute, along with the appliance manufacturer’s installation instructions.
If your kitchen has no exterior vent
Use the available hood, keep filters clean and improve general ventilation where it is safe to do so. Avoid disabling safety devices, and never use an oven or stove to heat the room. A carbon monoxide alarm is an important home safety measure, but it does not replace proper ventilation or appliance maintenance.
If a gas flame burns yellow instead of mostly blue, soot appears, an alarm sounds or anyone develops sudden headache, dizziness or nausea, stop using the appliance, move to fresh air and seek appropriate emergency or professional help.
