Software
Houzz Logo Print
gardener32

Range Hood for Bacon

4 years ago

We have selected everything but the vent hood for a full kitchen reno and here’s my problem. We’re installing a 30” induction cooktop that wouldn’t require more than 400 CFMs for ventilation. However, my son likes to fry bacon. Will 400 CFMs really handle the grease and odor? I don’t mind regularly running the mesh filters through the dishwasher, so I’m not looking for something that can accumulate lots of grease over time. I’m more wondering whether 400 CFMs will do the job in the moment, taking into account the advice to start the fan 10 minutes before starting to fry. I really want a quiet 400 CFM fan, but don’t want to regret choosing one that can’t handle bacon. Would greatly appreciate advice.

Comments (17)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Much of this depends on the duct that goes from the hood to the outside. If your duct is too small, it won't matter how many cfms the hood has, because the exhaust will be constrained. A duct that is too small is also a sure recipe for a noisy hood. You could have the quietest hood made in the universe, but it will be noisy if the duct is too small. Since you said you are doing a full kitchen reno, now is the time to check on the size of the duct. It should be 8" or 10" diameter.

    You also mentioned mesh filters. Get a hood with baffle filters. They work better, and do not get clogged quickly the way that mesh filters do.

  • 4 years ago

    My 600 CFM hood still doesn't remove all the smells from bacon. My previous house had a hood under 400 and it was essentially useless.

    If no bacon smell is a requirement consider asking your son to do bacon in the oven instead.

  • 4 years ago

    Bacon can be simmered or fried to a crisp. The upward cooking plume velocity will vary with how hard the cooking is, or more precisely, with how hot the cooking oil or self-generated grease is. I would advise 90 ft/min across the hood aperture, which ideally should overlap the cooking area by enough to capture the expanding cooking plumes possible on each burner/hob.

    But wait, there's more. After you have chosen the overlapping hood size, calculated the entry area (sq. ft.), multiplied by 90 to obtain the recommended CFM, there is still the issue of how to get it. This is not the rated CFM of the hood or the blower, but some portion thereof due to pressure losses in the path from bacon to outdoors and back into the house to the bacon. In other words, the ventilation path is a closed loop. Take the number calculated above and multiply by 1.5 for a rough estimate of a sufficient blower rating.

    Also be sure that the duct size keeps the duct velocity of the recommended CFM no higher than 2000 ft/min.

    Also be sure that there is a means of make-up air that is relatively low pressure loss.

    Finally, your bacon production may not need this capability, but something will, so design for a typical range of cooking tasks.

  • 4 years ago

    Oh I like the smell of bacon ... just not in the house long after the bacon has been digested!

    I have a double burner next to my outdoor bbq grill and that is where I cook the bacon. Tasty bacon with no lingering smells in the house.

  • 4 years ago

    Frying bacon produces rather significant carcinogens so whether you like the smell or not it's best to get it out of the house sooner rather than later.

    If you frequently have numerous windows open then an appropriately sized 400 CFM hood that's properly installed could probably suffice. If you live in a newer home that's relatively well sealed and you don't frequently open windows then you should look at a better hood and MUA.

    More: https://bamasotan.us/range-exhaust-hood-faq/


  • 4 years ago

    Frying bacon produces rather significant carcinogens so whether you like the smell or not it's best to get it out of the house sooner rather than later


    Bacon itself contains carcinogens, so if one is concerned with the fumes produced by cooking the product, then logically one would also be averse to ingesting it. Ingesting bacon also leads to increased cholesterol. So it'll getcha twice - cancer and heart disease.


    Just adding some perspective to this whole - cooking fumes will give you cancer - thing.

  • 4 years ago

    "Bacon itself contains carcinogens,"

    Yes, but uptake is very different. Your digestive tract deals with it much better.

  • 4 years ago

    We bake our bacon and have a pretty decently sized fan. It still lingers for a day or so regardless. *shrug*

  • 4 years ago

    Good capture of cooking effluent from range ovens and wall ovens is very difficult and rarely achieved in residential kitchens.

  • 4 years ago

    @kaseki absolutely. Since someone above commented they should bake their bacon for "no smell", I was noting that it hasn't been our experience.

  • 4 years ago

    Maybe the owner of the odorless bacon cooking has an oven with an air circulation system that subjects the internal air to a plasma arc which disassociates all the carbon compounds. :-)

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks to everyone for the advice. I especially appreciate anj_p and wiscokid confirming that bacon is a special case. I am more comfortable staying with the 400 CFM specs and baking the bacon. The ductwork will have a relatively straight 6’ run to an exterior wall so it sounds like we don’t really need to size up for handling the heat of the induction cooktop. Maybe it’s time to post a rendering of the layout and get advice on wood and paint color…

  • 4 years ago

    Oh come on, if you were supposed to bake bacon it would be called bakon. Cook it at a slightly lower temperature and put one of those small mesh grease guard over the pan. Let’r rip! Oh, and what time is breakfast?

  • 4 years ago

    Thanks to shared experiences, I’m done obsessing over how to properly spec out a kitchen to achieve ideal goals like venting to prevent lingering odors. I totally get the bacon fan club. Now, I’m intrigued by the Michelin starred chef (Jeff Baker) who advises searing bacon on both sides before lowering the heat to render the fat. At the risk of hijacking my own post, has anyone tried this? As for when’s breakfast—never before 10.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Just so the OP knows: If one is limiting the hood to 400 CFM (rated) to avoid having to install a deliberate MUA system and thereby achieve maybe 200 CFM without instead of maybe 300 CFM with, that is understandable, even if not recommended. However, if the 400 CFM number comes from some unstated rule of thumb that depends on waste heat of gas vs induction, and which may not have clarified that these rules of thumb are for actual flow rate through commercial hoods, not blower zero static pressure flow rate (hanging in free air). the achieved flow rate may not provide the containment capability needed for such tasks as stir frying or meat searing.

  • 4 years ago

    I sometimes cook my bacon on a cookie sheet on the outside grill, start with a cold grill. It works great!