Further Research on Hood and Hob

I just cut and paste the below info from some webby...

Question: Is it necessary to have hob with Flame Failure Device
(F.F.D./safety device)?
• It depends on how you look at it, hob with or without F.F.D. is
not strictly required by CPA safety authority.
• For your information, hob with F.F.D. is widely used in Countries
with Winter Climate.
• But sometimes buyers get misled by the sales-talk:
1. “ In case strong wind extinguishes the burner flame. ”
2. “ In case the water overspills and douses off the flame. ”
• The above sales talk may sound logical, but in actual fact, they
are fallacious.
1. To stop the wind from extinguishing the flame, shut the window
during cooking.
2. To avoid spillage fill up the pot to the correct water level.
3. Also it is important that the diameter of the pots or pans match
the heating potential of the burners suitably. The burner flame
MUST NEVER exceed the pot or pan diameter.

Question : If the above-mentioned are true, will you recommend
us to buy a hob with safety device?
• No, it not necessary, as the hob itself is safe to use, otherwise
CPA would not have approved.
• Bear in mind, usually the sales personnel will not keep you
informed that when Lighting burners with F.F.D. – the knob must
be kept depressed for about 10 (ten) seconds till the burner is
ignited.

Question: Do Stainless Steel surfaces scratch easily?
• There is no scratchproof stainless steel in the market. To avoid
scratches, do not use abrasive sponges, steel or synthetic wool,
to clean the surface.

Question: Is the Stainless Steel surface easy to clean?
• Yes, as long as the user is willing to clean, both the ordinary
stainless steel plate, as well as the scratch resistant steel plate,
is very easy to clean.

Question: How does the cooker hood function?
• Cooker hood works in 2 ways:
1. Recycling – It draws in the oily smoke, filtering through
numerous layers of filter such as aluminium (designer hood)
filter, sponge (traditional hood) filter and charcoal filter.
2. Ducting out – by connecting the pipes, oily smoke is directly
blown out to the rooftop or back wall. (This is normally not
suitable for Singapore marketing as most Singaporeans are
flat-dwellers)

Question: How many types of cooker hoods are there?
• Basically there are 2 types:
1. Conventional hood with a traditional sponge filter that comes
with twin motors.
2. Chimney hood with washable aluminium filter that comes
with choices of strong suction power.

Question: How strong is your cooker hood suction range?
• 1 – Conventional Hood with suction capacity: 480m3/hour.
• 2 – Canopy or Chimney Hood with suction capacity 650m3/h to
1000m3/hour.

Question: Why can’t I feel the suction when I place my hand
underneath the hood?
• It is not the correct way to test the cooker hood suction (please do
not test the hood with tissue paper).
• You can only hear the noise and see how strong the suction is
(please request for demo) but you definitely CANNOT feel because
air seeps in and flows upwards.
• The logic is simple: output capacity equals input capacity.

Question: Is it necessary to have a cooker hood?
• Yes, it helps to keep the environment clean and smoke free.
• It also helps to prevent oily stains on the ceiling.
• To be honest, oil problems are not easy to solve, the stains
definitely need to be cleaned up and washed regularly.
• The solution to the oily problem is to dine out or eat takeaways.

Question: How efficient is XXXX brand hood compared with others?
• In fact, a hood depends on motor suction, and cannot be judged by
percentage.
• We assume a motor suction capacity with 485m3 =79% ratio and
do a simple computation. Cooker hood with a higher suction power
will have a better performance ...
• It is understood that the hoods with 650m3, 700m3, 750m3,
1000m3 suction power DEFINITELY give better results.

Question: Some sales personnel claims their products are tested
by certain Japanese authorities for product efficiency?
• Bear in mind, there is a big different between Japanese and local
cooking.
• Our hood is less bulky in design, and without a piece of rectifier
panel blocking underneath (oily smoke can only flow in from the
gaps at both ends and front part near the switches).
• Local cooking tends to be more smoky and oily than Japanese
cooking. Especially for Chinese stir-fry, a lot of oily smoke will be
emitted, so within that few seconds the hood must be able to
absorb the smoke immediately, but some hoods are not able to do
so.

Question: Do your hoods come with the cassette to collect oil?
• No, all Italian / European designed hoods do not come with an oil
cassette, unlike those from Taiwan, China, etc…
• The disadvantages of the oil collecting designs are:
1. Hood has to be tilted in order for the oil to flow downwards.
2. There is an accumulated layer of sticky oil over time, making
cleaning difficult.
3. After some time, the holes leading to the container will also be
choked.

Question: In a demo, I saw oil in the cassette being easily
removed and poured away.
• What you saw is NOT the real cooked oil but fresh cooking oil.
• It is understood that cooking oil once heated up becomes very
sticky and viscous. (To prove, use your finger to rub against the
table surface after cooking and you will be able to feel the
difference immediately-oil does not flow as freely as you think it is.)

Question: How often must I clean the aluminium filter?
• For best results, we recommend once in 2 ~ 3 weeks.
• To clean it, simply remove the aluminium filter, soak in HOT water
mixed with liquid detergent, use an old toothbrush and brush it
gently, then rinse and dry it.

Question: How often must I change the charcoal filter?
• Charcoal filter is not washable; it helps to absorb the cooking smell.
• Normally we recommend changing it once in 9 ~ 12 months; it is
available in all our showrooms. If you do not cook often, it will last
slightly longer, up to period of 12 months or more.

Question: How often must I change the sponge filter?
• Sponge filter is washable. However, instead of washing, it is more
economical to change. The filter is available in all our showrooms.
• Normally we recommend changing it once in 2 ~ 3 months.

Question: What is the correct way of using cooker hood?
• The efficient aspiration of cook-top fumes also depends on correct use of
the product: the hood should be switched on at its lowest speed when
cooking starts, then the speed should be increased as fumes and odours
grow in quantity. When cooking is finished, the speed should be turned
back down to the lowest level for another 5 – 10 minutes.

Hubby, we can go to Citygas (PUB) or Plaza Sing (5th floor) if we wan check out Techno gas showroom. We can also check out Ray Excel Asia...

I is tired of all the tiny details and all the research...Information overload and end up more confused...

Sigh...Hope this is over soon...=(