Indian home cooking is a lot about action on the kitchen burners rather than in ovens. Our kitchens, therefore, are steamy, smoky and smelly. Ventilation, therefore, is vital.

An open door or window alone can never give the ventilation you need. Artificial ventilation through an exhaust fan or a chimney is essential.

Exhaust fans

An exhaust fan draws out the unclean air from the kitchen to the exterior and the vacuum thus created inside the room is automatically filled up by fresh air drawn from open windows and doors.

Conventional fans, which tend to extend out into the kitchen, range from 6-10 inches in diameter and can cost between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000.

Opt for one with automatic external shutters, which protect the fan from birds and insects. If on a higher budget, say around Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000, go for a fully built-in exhaust fan, which can be totally recessed into the external wall or window.

Locate the fan as close to the burner as possible and fit it within the kitchen exterior wall or window.

Chimneys

Exhaust fans have been rendered near-passé with the advent of the more sensible, albeit more expensive, kitchen chimneys.

A chimney captures smells and your eye, too.

Typically finished in stainless steel, some of them are additionally fitted with stylish clear or coloured glass base plates.

Unlike an exhaust fan, a chimney can be fixed anywhere in a kitchen. Installed around 28-32 inches above the burners, the chimney ensures smells are eliminated from almost at their source.

Most chimneys come with built-in light sources at their bases, providing direct light on the burners. Essential maintenance requires that the baffle filters be cleaned, say around once a month. You could do this yourself, but its best to arrange for it through an annual maintenance contract.

The downside — the price, which varies between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000, depending on size, finish, suction capacity and other features.

However, if on a lower budget, you could opt for a conventional chimney that uses aluminium mesh filters instead of baffle ones. The only problem is that these meshes need to be cleaned once every 3-4 days.

Another alternative — if you have no access to an outside wall, opt for a recirculation unit instead, which filters and refreshes the air before pumping it out again into the room.

Although not as efficient as a ducted chimney, this can be adequate for a small, infrequently used kitchen.

Ceiling fans

Don’t believe that ceiling fans are meant only for living spaces. A kitchen ceiling fan lends helpful freshness, cooling and ventilation in our hot and humid kitchens. However, it cannot be operated when the gas flame is on.

(The author is an interior design consultant, specialising in the design of corporate and residential interiors. As a senior faculty member at a Calcutta institute, she has delivered lectures, guided research and conducted projects in the field of housing & interior design for over two decades. She can be contacted through kusumsmail@yahoo.com)