Cooker hoods are an efficient way to extract steam and grease from your kitchen. But, removing the fumes from the room altogether usually requires a hole to be made in an outside wall. This allows a vent to be fitted to release the extracted air outside.
If this isn’t possible because your cooker isn’t near an outside wall or you don’t want to fit a vent, you’ll need a recirculating hood. If you already have a vent or want to go down this route check out my guide to the best cooker hoods.
A recirculating cooker hood can be fitted without the need for ducting and external vents. Instead, they use a carbon filter to remove dampness and grease from the air, which is then fed back into the room.
Recirculating cooker hoods are simpler to install, but in most cases, you’ll need to buy the carbon filter separately. This is standard for most hoods of this type. Luckily, there are lots of recirculating options to choose from.
To help you find a cooker hood that suits your needs, this list will introduce you to the best recirculating cooker hoods in the UK. Each provides excellent build quality, impressive functionality and works well in recirculation mode.
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Best Recirculating Cooker Hoods
Best Overall: NEFF N30 D65IEE1S0B
The Neff N30 D65IEE1SOB is an impressively designed 60cm cooker hood with unbeatable power, excellent energy efficiency and reasonable noise levels. It also features a unique angled design that will prevent you from hitting your head while cooking. This feature is functional, but it’s also eye-catching and really adds something unique to the design.
This Neff cooker hood isn’t a cheap option by any means but the design, ease of use and super-fast extraction rate, make it well worth it. When in use, it can extract up to 669 cubic metres (a lot!) of air per hour and only reaches a noise level of 60dB, which is surprisingly stealthy for something so powerful.
For the money, you get touch controls and an intensive speed setting which gives an extra burst of power to remove any remaining fumes. The standard settings have three-speed options to make it easy to find the right option for whatever you’re cooking.
The energy rating is B which is unusually high for an extraction hood. Because they need lots of power to extract kitchen fumes they’re often rated D or lower. To help you see exactly what you’re doing, you also get 2 LED lights underneath which are both bright and energy-efficient. To use it in recirculation mode, you will need to buy the carbon filter separately.
For a dependable, stylish cooker hood that’s got lots of power and will last long into the future, the NEFF N30 D65IEE1SOB is my top choice.
Pros
- Maximum airflow rate: 669 cubic metres per hour
- Three speeds plus intensive
- Black and brushed steel finish
- Two bright LED lights
- Touch controls
- Only reaches 60dB
- Energy rating B
Cons
- The price will be beyond some budgets.
- The carbon filter required for recirculation is sold separately.
SMEG KSED65NEE
The SMEG KSED65NEE is a 60cm black, chimney-style cooker hood that can provide powerful extraction at three speeds. SMEG never let you down when it comes to combining style and outstanding performance and this hood is no exception. The simple design looks even more stunning when installed than can be shown in a picture.
The different speed settings are controlled by a set of straightforward buttons and sliders which can be found on the underside of the extractor. At top speed, it can reach 635 cubic metres per hour, but at this level, you’ll have to accept that the noise reaches 67dB. If that’s too much for you, you can always decrease the power and drop it down to 53dB on the lowest settings.
The lighting is provided by two halogen bulbs which will be more than bright enough to see what you’re cooking. The energy rating is a disappointing C, but that’s to be expected for the most powerful cooker hoods.
It’s easy to set this model up for recirculation when installing it, but you’ll need to buy the carbon filter separately. If you’re looking for an impressive finish and great performance then the SMEG KSED65NEE is a great option.
Pros
- Maximum airflow rate: 635 cubic metres per hour
- Three speeds
- Black finish
- Two halogen lights
- Button and slider controls
- Noise can be reduced to 53dB
Cons
- The energy-rating is C
- The carbon filter required for recirculation is sold separately.
Best Large Hood: RANGEMASTER LEIHDC90BC
For those who cook big meals on range cookers, small 60cm hoods just don’t cut it. You need the unparalleled suction power and grease-catching efficiency of the RANGEMASTER LEIHDC90BC, a 90cm, 100cm, or 110cm range hood complete with three aluminium filters.
Of course, these filters are washable, reusable and graded B for filtering efficiency. This means less grease in the air, which results in a cleaner kitchen. This large cooker hood is also quite powerful. In fact, it works better when recirculating than it does when using a vent.
With up to 530 cubic metres per hour of airflow on the highest setting, it sucks up smoke, steam and odours before they have a chance to escape into your kitchen or eating area. You’d think such a powerful range hood would be loud, but it operates at 64dB on its highest setting and an unbelievably quiet 52dB on its lowest setting.
As with the other options found here, the carbon filter required for recirculation has to be bought separately. However, that’s no reason not to try this incredibly powerful, efficient and quiet range hood for yourself.
Pros
- Maximum airflow rate: 520cubic metres per hour
- Three speeds
- 90cm wide
- Black chrome finish
- Three easy to remove and clean, aluminium grease filters
- Two halogen lights
- Energy rating B
Cons
- It has a maximum noise level of 65dB
- The carbon filter required for recirculation is sold separately.
CANDY CCE60NN
The Candy CCE60NN is one of the most popular recirculating cooker hoods around and it’s easy to see why. Coming in at 60cm it is ultimately stylish, incredibly powerful and sturdily built, it will genuinely elevate your kitchen and improve your cooking experience.
This recirculating cooker hood has lots of great features. First, it features one ultra-bright halogen light underneath. The light is well placed to illuminate your entire cooking area. Next, even at the highest of its three settings, it will only reach 62dB. This quiet recirculating cooker hood is one of the quietest around and won’t disturb too much.
While the CCE60NN isn’t as powerful as the previous items on the list, it can still reach an acceptable 283 cubic metres per hour when recirculating. At that speed, it can still handle large cookers, strong odours and smoke from burnt cooking. The single reusable aluminium grease filter features a respectable C grade efficiency rating. Having just one filter makes it easier to keep this hood running smoothly.
If you want something that almost achieves the stylish appearance of the smeg but at nearly a quarter of the price, the Candy CCE60NN may be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s not got the power of the SMEG model, but it still works well and will effectively clear your kitchen of grease and steam.
Pros
- Maximum airflow rate: 283 cubic metres per hour
- 3 speeds
- Button controls on the front edge
- Black finish
- 1 LED light
- Noise level reaches 62dB at full power
Cons
- Energy rating C
- Not as powerful as some other models
- The carbon filter required for recirculation is sold separately.
Best Budget Recirculation Hood: LOGIK L60CHDX17
The LOGIK L60CHDX17 is another inexpensive option for those who are looking for great value. No one will ever believe this stylish, full-sized cooker hood costs under £100 with its stainless steel finish and sturdy construction. Two latches underneath this hood allow access to the dual dishwasher-safe aluminium filters and the interior of the unit.
They open easily and fasten securely so you can quickly check the state of your filtration system. Behind the filters sits a small LED light that manages to illuminate an entire 60cm hob successfully. The LOGIK L60CHDX17 isn’t the most powerful on the market but is suitable for small and lightly used cook-tops. Expect about 70 cubic metres per hour airflow in recirculation mode.
One significant benefit of having lower suction is energy consumption. As a result, this hood is one of the rare few to earn an energy rating of B. I also appreciate this recirculating cooker hood’s uncomplicated, easy-access interface. Just five buttons control operation and each is clearly labelled and placed on the outside of the hood. That means you don’t need to bend over to see the controls as you might with others.
Overall, besides having less airflow than its more expensive competition, the LOGIK L60CHDX17 exceeded my expectations with a solid construction, easy maintenance and simple controls.
Pros
- Maximum airflow rate: 70 cubic metres per hour
- Three speeds
- Push-button controls
- Stainless steel finish
- 1 LED light
- Energy rating B
- Maximum noise level of 64dB
Cons
- Not as powerful as some other models
- The carbon filter required for recirculation is sold separately.
What is a recirculating Cooker Hood?
What exactly does “re-circulation” mean? This means that instead of disposing of the heat and other pollutants in the atmosphere, you’re sucking them back into your hood to reuse them or just get rid of them within a closed environment.
A recirculating cooker hood is an efficient alternative for ventilation of cooking fumes, steam and heat. Traditional vents send the air directly outside through a chimney/ ducting. In a recirculating hood, the cooking fumes, steam and heat are sucked into a filter or into an enclosed environment to spare your home from pollutants.
Pros of Recirculating Cooker Hoods
The pros of a recirculating cooker hood include:
- You won’t need to put a hole in the wall to allow pollutants to escape.
- No unsightly ducting is required.
- Do not need to be installed against an outside wall so you have more flexibility with positioning.
Cons of Recirculating Cooker Hoods
- One of the only downsides to recirculating cooker hoods is that the filters may need to be replaced more frequently.
- Recirculating hoods are more expensive.
- The carbon filters in this type of hood will need to be replaced several times per year.
- Less effective compared to standard extraction hoods.
Conclusion
All of the recirculating cooker hoods included in this list are well-built, perform to a high standard and provide fast clearance of grease and steam. They also come in a range of styles to make it easier to find one that will suit your kitchen. Each one can be used to recirculate air, but you’ll need to buy a carbon filter before installation.
If you’ve found this list useful or you’ve had experience with any of these hoods – I would love to hear about them – so drop me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.
