Which Range Hood Gets Rid of Curry, Fried Fish and Cooking Smells?
If the smell of curry, fried fish and seafood, grilled meat or garlic stays in your home long after you have finished cooking, the problem is rarely the hood's looks. It comes down to where the air goes and how powerfully the hood can push it out. This page explains what to look for in plain terms, and which Robam hood fits which kitchen.
Why curry and fried fish smells linger
Frying fish and seafood, and frying onions, garlic and spices in hot oil, release fine oil droplets and strong-smelling vapours. They rise quickly, spread across the ceiling and settle into curtains and soft furnishings. Whether you are cooking machboos, a curry, fried hammour, falafel or a seared steak, a hood has to catch them above the cooktop and carry them out of the home before they spread.
Recirculating hoods pass the air through a charcoal filter and blow it back into the kitchen. The filter reduces the smell, but it cannot remove it the way sending the air outside does, and it needs replacing regularly. If your hood is connected to the air-conditioning duct, cooking air can travel to other rooms. In both cases, send us a photo and we will tell you what is possible in your home.
What decides how well a hood works
1. The air must go outside
In a villa, the pipe from the hood usually runs to an exit hole in a wall. In most apartments, there is a duct in the false ceiling above the cooker that carries air to the roof of the building, and the pipe from the hood connects into it.
2. Static pressure: how powerfully the motor pushes (Pa)
Static pressure, measured in Pascals (Pa), is the force that pushes the collected air through the pipe and out of your home. Every metre of pipe and every bend slows the air down. The higher the pressure, the faster smoke and smells leave, and the less the length of pipe matters.
1,000 Pa of pressure: even after several turns in the pipe, the air from the A675S still comes out with force.
3. Airflow: how much air the hood collects (m³/hr)
Airflow is how much air the hood draws in each hour. Higher airflow catches more smoke at once, which matters most when several burners are on, when you fry fish or cook curries daily, or when your kitchen is open to the living area.
1,500 m³/hr airflow at work: the A675S pulls in the steam even from a pot almost 30 cm to the side.
4. Width: match your cooktop
Choose a hood at least as wide as your cooktop. A 60cm cooktop (usually 4 burners) needs a 60cm hood. A 90cm cooktop (usually 5 burners) needs a 90cm hood. A hood narrower than the cooktop lets smoke escape around its sides.
How much power do you need?
In most UAE homes, the hood has to push air through a pipe with bends, or up a duct to the roof, and curries, fried fish and grilling produce heavy smoke. That is why we recommend the highest pressure that suits your budget. More pressure means smoke and smells leave faster, and the hood can do the job on a lower, quieter setting.
- 1,000 Pa: our most powerful. The A675S and A8323. Recommended for daily curries, fried fish and seafood, large families, open-plan kitchens, and long pipe runs or ducts up to the roof.
- 800 Pa: very strong. The A837, A832 and A830.
- 410 Pa: standard. The A862, with its dual-cavity design for wide cooktops.
Our range hoods
| Model | Width | Pressure | Airflow (restricted) | Airflow (unrestricted) | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A675S |
90cm | 1,000 Pa | 1,500 m³/hr | 2,640 m³/hr | Slanted side-draft design that pulls smoke in from all directions, with gesture control. |
 A8323 |
90cm | 1,000 Pa | 1,180 m³/hr | 2,380 m³/hr | Very strong pressure in a compact design that fits under a cabinet. Available only from our website. |
 A837 |
90cm | 800 Pa | 1,200 m³/hr | 2,150 m³/hr | Deep cavity design that covers the whole cooktop. |
 A832 |
90cm | 800 Pa | 1,020 m³/hr | 1,500 m³/hr | Strong all-rounder that fits under a cabinet. |
 A862 |
90cm | 410 Pa | 1,260 m³/hr | 2,220 m³/hr | Dual cavity, quiet, for kitchens with a short, direct route outside. |
 A830 |
60cm | 800 Pa | 1,120 m³/hr | 1,980 m³/hr | For 4-burner cooktops. Fits under a cabinet. |
Specifications as stated by the manufacturer. Click a model to see its current price.
Replacing an old hood
Most replacements are straightforward, but every kitchen is different. Before recommending a model, we ask five questions:
- Are you replacing an old hood, or is this a new kitchen?
- Villa or apartment?
- Is your cooktop 60cm (4 burners) or 90cm (5 burners)?
- Is there a cabinet above your cooker? If yes, how deep is it?
- How does the air get outside: through a hole in the wall, or through a duct in the ceiling?
A photo of your current hood, taken from a distance so we can see the wall and the false ceiling, usually answers most of them.
Delivery and installation
- Delivery and standard installation are free.
- Order on the website before 12 pm and your hood is delivered the next working day. Our installation team comes the same day or the day after, and usually needs one to two hours.
- We use 8-inch (about 20 cm) pipes, so the exit hole in the wall or ceiling duct must be 8 inches wide.
- We do not do civil work, such as breaking a wall to make a new exit hole. If your kitchen needs one, we can put you in touch with companies who do. It usually costs around AED 300 to 500, depending on the wall.
- Warranty: 5 years on the hood and 10 years on the motor.
Not sure which one you need?
Send us a photo of your kitchen on WhatsApp and answer the five questions above. We will recommend the model that suits your kitchen and the way you cook.