On Oct 29, 7:32 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
> "Joe Masters" > wrote in message
>
> ups.com...
>
> > My wife and I are remodeling, and have a good kitchen design that puts
> > a cooktop on a peninsula. The design of the room would really be
> > hampered by a hood coming down from the ceiling. We can go with an
> > electric or gas cooktop (we would prefer gas). We are looking at the
> > two kenmore pop-up downdraft units, because we can get significant
> > discounts at sears. For $350, we can get model #59940 , which goes up
> > 7". For $700, we can get model #59960 , which rises 9.5", and appears
> > to have to some better features. We can easily vent down and outside,
> > and we would be willing to make other modifications as well (would a
> > vent or exhaust fan in the ceiling above the cooktop (9' high ceiling)
> > help?)
>
> > Can someone out there please enlighten us?
>
> Ever watch the steam vapor coming off of a boiling pot? Does it go down?
> How about grease splatters from a pan, in what direction do they go? Is
> this starting to make some sense now?

The pop-up downdraft (note that I'm not talking about the downdraft
that's at the same level as the burners) would be above the pots/pan,
and would be closer to the steam and grease than a hood would be. The
hood would presumably have a stronger fan, and a more uniform sucking
power over the cooktops.

I have been unable to find any kind of objective review / testing of
downdraft vs. hood anywhere. Consumer Reports looked at two downdraft
hoods that they "don't recommend", but they don't go into any detail
beyond that. Reading reviews from individuals, I see everything from
"mine is great" to "they're fine for some stuff, but not for
grilling". Has anyone done an objective test showing the point at
which hoods beat downdrafts? For pasta and soup, a downdraft and hood
are comparable in terms of heat/grease/smoke removal, right?

So many companies sell downdrafts -- they must have some level of
usability, right? I mean, is there any mass-produced kitchen item by
many different companies that costs $500-$1000 and simple does not do
what it claims to do?