All the rage in range hoods

In recent years, range hoods have gone beyond merely clearing the cooking air. Here’s a look at some of the newer features you might want to investigate if you’re in the market for a new hood:

Energy efficient

Proving that eco-friendly can be stylish, Faber’s Matrix is a dramatically different take on a range hood. Air is drawn through the narrow black slots on the nearly flat stainless-steel panel. The design creates an area of low pressure that captures more air, requiring Matrix to use less energy than traditional hoods to extract the same amount of air. Soundproofing material kept the motor amazingly quiet on the showroom model I tried. Retail price is $2,100, and you can find a dealer by calling Faber at 508-358-5353. 

Adjustable

A big part of confidence in the kitchen is feeling that you have a good fit with your appliances. It’s hard to feel that your stove is an extension of yourself, though, if you keep knocking your head on the corner of the range hood. Miele’s motorized, height-adjustable hood can help, with its ability to move up and down 12 inches over an island cooktop—perfect for cooks of different heights in the same household. Miele’s DA 424V has two buttons that move the hood up or down, four power settings, a timed fan program that turns off in 5- or 15-minute intervals, and a ventilation output of 625 cubic feet per minute. Cost is around $4,000, and you can find a dealer at Miele.com or by calling 800-843-7231. 

Thermador has an unusual slide-out canopy design, right, that lets you push the hood closed for more headroom and pull it out when you need more venting over the front burners. The showroom model I saw glided back and forth with the touch of a finger, instantly increasing the ventilation area by 12 inches, or 45%. The chimney-style wall hood has a maximum airflow of 600 cubic feet per minute, and retails for $2,000. Find a retailer at Thermador.com.

Space-saving

This sleek tube-style hood from Sirius, above, may be less than 15 inches across, but it delivers 600 cubic feet per minute of ventilation power. Meant to be used over an island stove, the hood works best over a cooktop no wider than 30 inches. If you’ve got an extremely wide cooktop, you might consider mounting two of these. The hood retails for $2,027, and you can find a list of dealers at Siriushoods.com.