Italiano
When cooking, ventilation must be active. And there is no arguing about that!
But… when to turn it off?
It is normally recommended, once the cooking session is over, to leave the hood on for another 10/15 minutes. This is to remove any odors and VOCs, volatile organic compounds, that form in the air and are potentially harmful to health.
However, recent research has found evidence suggesting another small operation: opening doors and windows (two are enough, possibly on opposite sides of the kitchen).
The study, published in early 2025, was conducted by researchers from the National Taiwan University.
Among the conclusions, we read:
“Using both the front and back doors for ventilation creates strong convection, removing over 95 % of residual cooking pollutants in 10 min. In contrast, continued use of the exhaust hood after cooking may alter airflow direction but does not necessarily enhance pollutant removal. The concentration of residual particulate matter is primarily influenced by natural ventilation openings. Additionally, opening the back door and using a transom after cooking effectively removes pollutants compared to opening the door only, especially in winter. Proper ventilation disrupts the stratification effect of airflow, mixing fresh air with polluted air and inducing convection, resulting in significant pollutant removal”.
Then yes… use doors, but also a good hood!
An ALUMINOX hood, for example!
