The fan above my stove broke. Is inhaling cooking smoke dangerous?
October 10, 2013 7:16 AM Subscribe
The fan above my stove broke. I cook on the stovetop often, I've heard that the smoke from cooking could cause health problems down the road - but it's all anecdotal evidence. I've tried looking up some concrete information online, but what I can find is sparse. I'm opening the windows at the moment, but it's going to be too cold to do that soon. Is a fan necessary, or is cooking smoke not as bad as it's cracked up to be? Anyone else not using fans?
If it helps you feel better, no apartment I've lived in over the past 8 years has even had a fan over the stove, and I'm still good.
posted by augustimagination at 7:24 AM on October 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by augustimagination at 7:24 AM on October 10, 2013 [7 favorites]
Is it smoke or just steam? There shouldn't be lots of actual smoke, unless you're burning things regularly.
Steam is basically harmless, and smoke in the quantities you're talking about pretty much is, too.
Plenty of kitchens don't have exhaust fans. From a health perspective, I wouldn't give this a second thought.
posted by Salamander at 7:25 AM on October 10, 2013 [5 favorites]
Steam is basically harmless, and smoke in the quantities you're talking about pretty much is, too.
Plenty of kitchens don't have exhaust fans. From a health perspective, I wouldn't give this a second thought.
posted by Salamander at 7:25 AM on October 10, 2013 [5 favorites]
Although atrazine's right - it definitely makes for more kitchen upkeep over the long term. There's kind of this grease film that settles everywhere, something I've never noticed in my parents' way nicer kitchen where they use the stove fan regularly.
posted by augustimagination at 7:26 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by augustimagination at 7:26 AM on October 10, 2013
Unlike augustimagination, I DO have a fan; I turn it on everly year or so just to check that it works.... unless you're burning a lot of stuff (and setting off your smoke detector) or cooking really, REALLY smelly foods, it isn't necessary.
I don't know who told you cooking smoke is dangerous, but I completely disagree.
posted by easily confused at 7:29 AM on October 10, 2013
I don't know who told you cooking smoke is dangerous, but I completely disagree.
posted by easily confused at 7:29 AM on October 10, 2013
I wouldn't think this would be that uncommon of a problem or particularly expensive to fix. Unless you rarely cook with oil or meat and keep your oven pretty spotless for baking (these are the things that end up setting off my smoke detectors, even with the vent fan, anyway) I think leaving this is probably a false economy in the end, assuming you own your house - it will make your kitchen smellier, and dirtier, and that one time you actually really screw up - leave something to boil away and char on the burner or burn something to a crisp in the oven - you'll really wish you had that fan to clear it out.
Aside from that I suspect Salamander is correct - healthwise it's probably not a real issue (aside from the fact that if you're anything like me you'll be constantly disabling your smoke detectors and then forgetting to reactivate them).
posted by nanojath at 7:32 AM on October 10, 2013
Aside from that I suspect Salamander is correct - healthwise it's probably not a real issue (aside from the fact that if you're anything like me you'll be constantly disabling your smoke detectors and then forgetting to reactivate them).
posted by nanojath at 7:32 AM on October 10, 2013
Agreeing with everyone else - I only use the fan if there is smoke billowing up in quantities that threaten to set off the smoke detector.
That said, you can replace those range hoods with minimal cost and effort, so if this is something that is worrying you, go to Home Depot and check out your options. Our range hood definitely cost less than $100 and my husband installed it himself.
posted by something something at 7:33 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
That said, you can replace those range hoods with minimal cost and effort, so if this is something that is worrying you, go to Home Depot and check out your options. Our range hood definitely cost less than $100 and my husband installed it himself.
posted by something something at 7:33 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
I lived for 12 years in an apartment that didn't have a fan above the stove. The worst thing that happened was that a thin layer of schmutz started developing on some things that was a combination of accumulating aerosoled bacon grease that then went on to trap dust.
So it's gross as shit, but not toxic. (And discovering that was happening was one of the reasons I moved.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:34 AM on October 10, 2013 [6 favorites]
So it's gross as shit, but not toxic. (And discovering that was happening was one of the reasons I moved.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:34 AM on October 10, 2013 [6 favorites]
I'd replace the fan. Not because cooking smoke is dangerous, but because it's nasty to have a thin layer of schmutz coating everything in your kitchen. Also, the smoke detector going off all the time is a hassle.
You can get them very inexpensively from any big box store, and they're pretty simple to install.
You do need to do some fan maintenance. Take out the screens and run them through the dishwasher, get up under the hood and wipe it out.
Maintenance. It's so important.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:41 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
You can get them very inexpensively from any big box store, and they're pretty simple to install.
You do need to do some fan maintenance. Take out the screens and run them through the dishwasher, get up under the hood and wipe it out.
Maintenance. It's so important.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:41 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yes, cooking smoke can be toxic. I just heard a story about this on NPR not too long ago: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/09/10/219012757/kitchen-range-hoods-may-not-be-as-effective-as-they-claim
And: http://www.business2community.com/health-wellness/the-danger-of-cooking-with-healthy-oils-past-their-smoke-point-0418150
I'd replace the fan or the entire hood.
posted by ATX Peanut at 7:52 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
And: http://www.business2community.com/health-wellness/the-danger-of-cooking-with-healthy-oils-past-their-smoke-point-0418150
I'd replace the fan or the entire hood.
posted by ATX Peanut at 7:52 AM on October 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Here's a link to an NIH article on the subject, though the scope of research was limited. It makes sense that if short-term differences can be demonstrated, long-term exposure would also have effects. I think I recall a recent publication that compared air quality from outside-venting vs inside recirculation of cooking fumes, but I can't recall where I saw it. The conclusion, not surprisingly, was that outside venting resulted in improved air quality. The reduction in grease and smoke deposited on walls and cabinets is another benefit.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685804/
posted by citygirl at 7:53 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2685804/
posted by citygirl at 7:53 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're generating a lot of smoke on the cooktop--and I'm talking actual smoke--you're doing it wrong. Don't burn your food.
You're much more likely to be generating steam. My cumulative time in apartments without range hoods is about 30 years. It's fine.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:02 AM on October 10, 2013
You're much more likely to be generating steam. My cumulative time in apartments without range hoods is about 30 years. It's fine.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:02 AM on October 10, 2013
An over-the-range fan/hood is not necessary unless your local building codes or bylaws require it -- do you know if that's the case? Are you a renter or owner?
Not having a range hood does mean that you'll be putting all sorts of aerosolized particulate matter into the air whenever you use the stovetop for anything more involved than boiling water -- frying, searing, grilling, etc. This does create some health risks, but simply having a functioning range hood is not any sort of guarantee that those risks will be eliminated or even meaningfully lessened. To make a real dent in the issue, you'd have to make sure your hood's CFM capacity is correctly rated for both the heat output of your stovetop (in BTUs) as well as the amount of space that you have (in cubic feet). And to truly minimize the risk, you would probably want to run an indoor air quality test to ensure the hood is actually doing its job.
There are many other health risks involved in cooking, though, so it's pretty much your call on whether you consider those health risks to be serious enough for intervention -- and if you do, you'll have to do more than just fix the range hood. For example, grilling or cooking your meat to well-done naturally creates several known carcinogens, but you don't hear very much about people pointedly abstaining from those foods due to those particular health concerns.
As mentioned repeatedly above, your lack of a range hood will quickly allow a layer of oil to form on every surface of your kitchen, from the countertops to the walls to the cabinets, and that oil will trap dust and pet hair like nobody's business. A splatter screen or splatter guard will help cut down how much mess you make when you fry stuff, but it definitely won't eliminate it. You really have to stay on top of it by wiping all of your surfaces down with a good kitchen cleanser every day or two, because if you let it sit for a while, it is next to impossible to effectively remove without a heavy-duty grease-cutting cleanser.
Here are some articles from the Kitchn discussing this very issue: Do I absolutely need a range hood? & Do you have a range hood?
FWIW, I'm a homeowner who cooks every day, sometimes multiple times a day and very often using a smoky cast iron grill pan, and I've never had any sort of fan in the kitchen other than the one hanging from the ceiling.
My opinion: If your range hood vents to the outside, fix it ASAP because that's an awesome thing to have. If it's just a recirculating fan, you can probably just leave it be and use a regular box fan to move the air around.
posted by divined by radio at 8:13 AM on October 10, 2013 [8 favorites]
Not having a range hood does mean that you'll be putting all sorts of aerosolized particulate matter into the air whenever you use the stovetop for anything more involved than boiling water -- frying, searing, grilling, etc. This does create some health risks, but simply having a functioning range hood is not any sort of guarantee that those risks will be eliminated or even meaningfully lessened. To make a real dent in the issue, you'd have to make sure your hood's CFM capacity is correctly rated for both the heat output of your stovetop (in BTUs) as well as the amount of space that you have (in cubic feet). And to truly minimize the risk, you would probably want to run an indoor air quality test to ensure the hood is actually doing its job.
There are many other health risks involved in cooking, though, so it's pretty much your call on whether you consider those health risks to be serious enough for intervention -- and if you do, you'll have to do more than just fix the range hood. For example, grilling or cooking your meat to well-done naturally creates several known carcinogens, but you don't hear very much about people pointedly abstaining from those foods due to those particular health concerns.
As mentioned repeatedly above, your lack of a range hood will quickly allow a layer of oil to form on every surface of your kitchen, from the countertops to the walls to the cabinets, and that oil will trap dust and pet hair like nobody's business. A splatter screen or splatter guard will help cut down how much mess you make when you fry stuff, but it definitely won't eliminate it. You really have to stay on top of it by wiping all of your surfaces down with a good kitchen cleanser every day or two, because if you let it sit for a while, it is next to impossible to effectively remove without a heavy-duty grease-cutting cleanser.
Here are some articles from the Kitchn discussing this very issue: Do I absolutely need a range hood? & Do you have a range hood?
FWIW, I'm a homeowner who cooks every day, sometimes multiple times a day and very often using a smoky cast iron grill pan, and I've never had any sort of fan in the kitchen other than the one hanging from the ceiling.
My opinion: If your range hood vents to the outside, fix it ASAP because that's an awesome thing to have. If it's just a recirculating fan, you can probably just leave it be and use a regular box fan to move the air around.
posted by divined by radio at 8:13 AM on October 10, 2013 [8 favorites]
Are you sure your range hood vents outside? The large majority I've seen recently just pull everything upwards through a filter and shoot it right back at you. I've never understood why they exist; the goggles, they do nothing.
So if your hood does that, I wouldn't give it a second thought. And yeah, if you're making smoke doing anything other than searing a steak or a burger, you're doing it wrong. Double-wrong if you're creating smoke cooking in a nonstick pan; that's the shit that'll kill ya.
posted by supercres at 8:14 AM on October 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
So if your hood does that, I wouldn't give it a second thought. And yeah, if you're making smoke doing anything other than searing a steak or a burger, you're doing it wrong. Double-wrong if you're creating smoke cooking in a nonstick pan; that's the shit that'll kill ya.
posted by supercres at 8:14 AM on October 10, 2013 [3 favorites]
(Note my exception to the smoke=bad rule. I'd argue that if you're NOT making smoke cooking a steak or burger, you're doing it wrong. Since I don't have a hood that vents outside, and my recirculating one helps not at all, I just put a box fan pointing out my kitchen window in those instances.)
posted by supercres at 8:20 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by supercres at 8:20 AM on October 10, 2013
Seconding divined by radio: I came in to say that if you have a smallish kitchen, and know you're going to be making some smoke/stink, you can use a small portable fan to vent out a convenient window. I do this now and again, and it works just fine.
posted by LaBellaStella at 8:21 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by LaBellaStella at 8:21 AM on October 10, 2013
I only ever turn on my stove fan when I am searing steak or frying something. Greasy steam is a pain to cleanup otherwise.
posted by joan_holloway at 8:56 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by joan_holloway at 8:56 AM on October 10, 2013
The main problem with no rangetop fan is you introduce a lot of moisture into your living space, and your kitchen walls get coated with grease. Bleah.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:07 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by KokuRyu at 9:07 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
I haven't had a vented stove since childhood and I'm doing OK.
I think poor ventilation in a kitchen can be an occupational hazard for professional cooks, but I doubt it's an issue if we're talking about nightly dinners and the occasional Thanksgiving.
posted by Sara C. at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2013
I think poor ventilation in a kitchen can be an occupational hazard for professional cooks, but I doubt it's an issue if we're talking about nightly dinners and the occasional Thanksgiving.
posted by Sara C. at 10:17 AM on October 10, 2013
I was told to always use the range fan whenever cooking on the stove at one apartment I rented, because otherwise a cloud of hot steamy air would accumulate that could get hot enough to damage (warp, crack) the fancy mirror backspash. It wasn't really a health issue, it was more about protecting my security deposit.
posted by ceribus peribus at 10:49 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by ceribus peribus at 10:49 AM on October 10, 2013
Depending on where you live, the additional moisture you get from not having a hood venting to the exterior may create a durability/health concern, since in some cases more water vapor might create condensation in your walls, potentially leading to mold growth. A kitchen hood fan and bathroom exhaust fans, vented to the exterior, that you use every time you cook/use the bathroom, are a good first step in helping control moisture in your house.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 11:53 AM on October 10, 2013
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 11:53 AM on October 10, 2013
Not using a fan can exacerbate asthma, if you have asthma or other breathing difficulties. I do, so I have a small recirculating fan WITH FILTER, and I change the filter regularly -- this is the big one, you need it to have a filter if you expect a recirculating fan to do anything. Mine was ~$65 from an appliance store. They are cheap. It is worth it to me.
posted by pie ninja at 12:21 PM on October 10, 2013
posted by pie ninja at 12:21 PM on October 10, 2013
Why are you getting so much smoke when cooking?
If you are frying with a low smoke point oil such as olive oil, switch to something else. EATING things that have been charred is bad for your health, don't cook things so much they smoke with or without a fan.
posted by yohko at 6:18 PM on October 10, 2013
If you are frying with a low smoke point oil such as olive oil, switch to something else. EATING things that have been charred is bad for your health, don't cook things so much they smoke with or without a fan.
posted by yohko at 6:18 PM on October 10, 2013
I've never had a cooker with a fan or extractor. If I'm cooking something smoky I just open a window. 54 years old, respiratory system fine. Knees not so great but I don't think that's related. :-)
posted by Decani at 7:40 PM on October 10, 2013
posted by Decani at 7:40 PM on October 10, 2013
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I don't think there's a health issue but you will end up with a dirtier, smellier kitchen in the long run.
posted by atrazine at 7:23 AM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]