Cooker hood to suit your kitchen, stove and budget, and your healthtoo - CHOICE # 380 (June 16,

Choosing a cooker hood that suits your kitchen, cooking stove and budget is no easy task for any housewife.

But a cooker hood has assumed greater importance as never before in the light of medical studies that implicated domestic exposure to cooking fumes as a possible risk factor of lung cancer.

According to a study of the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, cumulative exposure to cooking fumes by frying, stir- or deep-frying could increase the risk of lung cancer of Hong Kong women.

The statistics indicate that if a non-smoking woman cooks 5 dishes daily in such way for more than 20 years, her risk of lung cancer would be 1 to 2 times higher than those who cooks 5 dishes daily for less than 10 years.

So, how well does a cooker hood perform is not a matter to be taken lightly by anyone exposed frequently to cooking fumes.

The Consumer Council has put to test 12 models to assess their performance (extraction of grease, odour and steam as well as noise level), safety (both electrical and mechanical), and convenience of use (design, lighting, cleaning).

The overall scores, based on performance (60%), safety (30%) and ease of use (10%) on a scale of 5, showed only slight variations among all models ranging from 4.5 (1 model) to 3.5 (also 1 model). The 10 other models were all given a score of 4.

Many consumers may be led into believing that a higher exhaustion flow rate as claimed on the product brochure will perform better. But this is not necessarily the case.

In fact, the top performer was measured to have the least exhaustion flow rate in the test, and it did not affect its extraction of grease, odour and steam.

Claims of exhaustion flow rate often cannot be compared between different brands with any accuracy as their manufacturers adopt different measurement methods in determining the flow rate.

The test also noted that a quiet cooker hood during operation, providing a comfortable environment for cooking, is not necessarily less effective in performance. Indeed the top performer was found with the lowest of noise levels amongst the samples.

On safety, consumers are advised to replace light bulb carefully in some of the samples due to partial exposed screw cap of the bulb.

To ensure the safe maintenance, users should unplug or switch off the cooker hood before replacing the lamp, or for the same reason, before cleaning the appliance.

For more details, consumers can refer to the test report in this June issue of CHOICE.