No matter how much you love cooking, the high temperatures in the summer season will make you second-guess every recipe that you want to try. Whether you want to make something as essential as your cup of morning tea or an elaborate spread for the times when guests come over, the summer heat makes the kitchen more of a furnace.
The heat from the burners on top of the sweaty weather can become difficult to handle, especially in a kitchen that’s not properly ventilated. Since you can’t altogether quit cooking during the summer months, you can make your kitchen breathable with chimneys. From knowing why your chimneys are essential for your kitchen to the many types, here is an all-in-one guide for all your doubts.
Why Kitchen Chimneys Are Essential In Summer?
While every corner of your house must be air conditioned, you cannot even turn the fan on in the kitchen while cooking. Since each cooking process, from boiling water to deep frying, requires you to turn on the flame, that too, without letting the air affect it, the kitchen temperature is bound to go up. If you don’t have a ventilation system installed, the hot air will remain trapped, making the kitchen uncomfortable even when standing in it. Chimneys are proven to be the most effective in giving hot air a proper escape. Pulling out the smoke, hot fumes, and even airborne grease, chimneys top the list of summer essentials for your kitchen.
How Kitchen Chimneys Help In Summer?
- Reduce Heat: Chimneys create a controlled airflow by pulling out hot air generated by the gas burners.
- Minimise Humidity: Taking out the fumes from processes like boiling, simmering, pressure cooking, etc, chimneys take the excess moisture out of the air.
- Manage Smoke: With the fans and air conditioners working in the summer season, the smoke released from frying or sauteeing can get trapped in the house. Chimneys can help gush out the smoke, keeping your home well ventilated.
- Reduce Energy Consumption: A lot of electricity is consumed in the summer to keep your house cool. Controlling the temperature of the kitchen and chimneys can help reduce the overall energy consumption.
Benefits Of Using A Chimney During Hot Weather
Apart from maintaining the ventilation, there are a lot more reasons to install a chimney in your kitchen, especially in the hotter months.
Reason #1: Keeps The Kitchen Cool
If your pet peeve is a sweaty forehead and palms in the summer season, a chimney can make your cooking time much better. Just switch on the chimney while cooking and for a little while after you’re done, and you’ll see that the heat doesn’t accumulate as much.
Reason #2: Enhances Air Quality
A lot of cooking processes lead to the byproducts of combustion, i.e., gases like carbon monoxide, grease particles, and smoke. Instead of investing in air purifiers, you can simply add a chimney to your kitchen and take care of the root of the issue.
Reason #3: Protects Kitchen Aesthetics
Who said the summer heat just makes you uncomfortable? The smoke getting released from cooking can also stain your kitchen. To keep the oil and grease buildup away from the nicely painted kitchen walls, cabinets, and even cookware on the counters, operating chimneys in the hot weather is a must.
Reason #4: Improves Efficiency
If you are standing in your kitchen all sweaty, it’s pretty obvious that you are dreading your cooking time. To decrease your hours of cooking and make your time a little enjoyable, even in the summer season, always switch on the chimney before cooking.
Types Of Kitchen Chimneys Best For Summer
With the ongoing benefits of chimneys, you must have made up your mind to invest in one for your kitchen. But the next important question is which one? To help you with your research, here are some options that are best for the summer season.
1) Auto-Clean Chimneys
As the name suggests, auto-clean chimneys demand the least amount of maintenance. An auto-clean chimney like Prestige Provo 900 Kitchen Hood Chimney is fitted with oil collecting trays so that you don’t have to spend hours cleaning your chimney in the hot summer months.
2) Motion Sensor Chimneys
Revolutionising the kitchen, newer models like the Prestige Vista 600 Kitchen Hood Chimney and the Prestige EDGE 900 Motion Sensor Chimney come with motion sensors. These models automatically adjust the suction power as per the heat levels, making your cooking time feel like a breeze.
3) Baffle Filter Chimneys
Perfect for the Indian kitchens, baffle filter chimneys like Prestige Split Kitchen Hood - Prestige Zen 900 and Prestige Slimline Kitchen Hood separate the oil particles from the smoke, making the air cleaner.
4) Smart Chimneys
Modern problems require modern solutions. Making the chimneys smarter, the Prestige Kitchen Hood - Oscar 900 is fitted with an advanced gas leak detector, auto-clean suction, and allows for switching between 3 speed controls.
For more information you can also read 10 Best chimneys for Indian homes
How Chimneys Improve Comfort During Summer Cooking?
All you need in the summer season is some relief from the scorching heat. Even though you might complete your work hours in a well-air-conditioned office space, you’d have to step into the boiling temperature of the kitchen. To make the heat better, chimneys extract the smoke, steam, and hot air out of the kitchen, making your cooking time comfortable.
Maintaining Your Kitchen Chimney In Summer
Every appliance needs maintenance to perform efficiently. To increase the durability of chimneys, you’d need to clean them regularly, especially in the summer season when they must be running for more hours. Depending on your cooking times and the type of chimney, it is important to clean the filters once every two weeks or a month. For a quick cleaning, you can simply use natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar. As for deep cleaning, you can take the filters out and soak them in soapy water, scrub to remove grease, and then reinstall them.
Tips For Maximising Your Chimney’s Effectiveness
To make the most of your kitchen chimney, here are some quick tips you can follow.
- Install the chimney directly above your stove and maximise the smoke suction.
- While installing the chimney, be mindful that you have at least a 26-30-inch gap between the stove and the chimney.
- Make sure the chimney is not installed near the windows or a fan to avoid cross ventilation.
- Clean the filters once every month to increase the effectiveness and durability of the chimney.
- Switch the chimney on before you start cooking and keep it running for at least five minutes after you’re done to get rid of the smoke.
- As per your kitchen size, cooking time, and time for maintenance, research and pick the most suited chimney for the best results.
Common Summer Cooking Challenges & How Chimneys Help
- High Temperature: One of the most challenging situations in the summer season is to cook in the already high temperatures. Pulling out the smoke, a chimney can help bring the kitchen to room temperature.
- Foul Odour: Due to the air conditioning in the summer, air gets trapped inside the house. To take the foul smell out of the kitchen and your home, you can turn on the chimney.
- Humidity: The end of the summer season brings with it a humid climate. Leaving the chimney on for a while can help remove the moisture from the air, making the space bearable.
- Long Cooking Hours: Since it is too challenging to stand in the kitchen in the heat, the sweat inevitably increases your cooking time. However, you can improve the situation by improving the ventilation with a kitchen chimney.
Conclusion
While there are a lot of exciting things about the summer season, like juicy mangoes, your favourite flavour of ice cream, and icy drinks, the high temperature can make it impossible to cook. To make the kitchen temperature bearable and ensure proper ventilation, you can invest in a quality Prestige kitchen chimney and see the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ 1 - Why is a kitchen chimney important in summer?
A. Chimneys are important in the summer, as most Indian kitchens are not centrally heated, and chimneys can help bring down the temperature, pull out the smoke, and maintain a breathable environment.
FAQ 2 - How do I choose the right kitchen chimney size for summer?
A. The best way to select the chimney size is by measuring it with respect to your cooktop. If you have a two-to-four-burner stove, a 60 cm kitchen chimney would be sufficient. However, for larger stoves, you can go for a 90 cm chimney.
FAQ 3 - Can a kitchen chimney help with grilling in summer?
A. Yes, you can perfectly grill your favourites even in the summer season, as the chimney can control the smoke in your kitchen.
FAQ 4 - How often should I clean my kitchen chimney during summer?
A. Since you would use a chimney more frequently in summer, it is recommended that you clean the appliance after every two to three weeks.
FAQ 5 - Can I use my kitchen chimney during all types of cooking?
A. Yes, whether you’re steaming, boiling, frying, grilling, roasting, and so on, a chimney will remove the heat, smoke, and foul smell effectively from your kitchen.
