How to Choose a Range Hood in Canada (Especially If You Actually Cook)

How to Choose a Range Hood in Canada (Especially If You Actually Cook)
Most range hood advice online is written for people who boil pasta and reheat leftovers. If that's you, almost any hood will do. But if you stir-fry at high heat, sear steaks, or deep-fry on weekends, you already know the smoke doesn't politely rise and disappear. It rolls across the ceiling, hangs in the hallway, and the smell is still there the next morning.
Here's a more honest way to shop for a kitchen range hood in Canada.
Start with airflow, but don't stop there
Airflow is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute), and it's the number every brand puts on the box. A common rule of thumb for gas cooktops is roughly 100 CFM for every 10,000 BTU of burner output. A cooktop with four burners at 15,000 BTU each adds up fast, and a powerful wok burner pushes it further.
The number on the box is measured in ideal lab conditions. Add a long duct, three elbows, and a narrow pipe, and the real airflow in your kitchen can be far lower. A six-inch duct on a hood that wants eight is one of the most common reasons a "strong" hood feels weak.
Capture matters more than raw power
A hood with big numbers that doesn't actually catch the smoke is pointless. Capture depends on three things: the width of the hood compared with your cooktop (as wide as the cooktop at minimum, wider is better), how high it's mounted (often 24 to 30 inches above the burners, but follow the manual), and the shape of the intake.
Traditional hoods pull smoke upward. Side-draft hoods, popular in Chinese kitchens, sit closer to the cook and pull oily fumes sideways, so the smoke has less distance to escape. If most of your cooking is high-heat and oily, that design is worth serious consideration rather than assuming every hood is a variation of the same thing.
Cold weather changes the maths
Canadian winters add two issues you don't have in warm climates.
First, makeup air. A powerful hood throws a lot of indoor air outside. In a modern, tightly sealed house, that air has to come from somewhere. Without a proper makeup air system, you can get weak performance, backdrafting from other appliances, or doors that slam. Many building codes require makeup air once a hood passes a certain airflow—check local requirements before buying.
Second, the duct itself. A duct running through an unheated space needs insulation, or condensation and grease can build up and drip back down in winter. A good damper (the flap that stops cold air from blowing back in) also matters more here than most people think.
Noise is part of the spec
Noise is listed in sones. A hood that sounds like a jet engine at full power will end up being used on low, which means it's not doing its job. Look for the sone rating at your normal and maximum settings, and stay a bit skeptical of quiet numbers quoted only at the lowest speed.
Filters, cleaning, and the grease nobody mentions
Baffle filters are common in higher-end hoods because they're metal, often dishwasher-safe, and don't clog the way fine mesh does. Whatever you pick, plan on cleaning the filters regularly—a clogged filter is both a fire risk and a performance killer.
Look at the grease path too. Can you wipe the interior easily? Is there a drip cup? Small design details like these decide whether your hood is still pleasant to live with after two years.
Ducted or recirculating?
If you can duct outside, do it. A hood that vents outdoors removes moisture, smoke, and heat. Recirculating hoods filter the air and push it back into the kitchen, so they're a fallback for condos where ducting isn't possible, and they work best with fresh charcoal filters changed on schedule.
A quick checklist before you buy
• Measure your cooktop and your ceiling height.
• Check the duct route and diameter in your house.
• Check local code on makeup air.
• Decide how heavy your cooking really is.
• Ask about the noise at the speed you'll actually use.

To learn more, visit: https://www.robamcanada.com