LPLZ wrote:
Hi. I was wondering if anyone can help me in determining the how effective
the OTR microwave is in taking away smoke/odor/grease compared to the vent
hood. I know that that hood is far superior to the microwave in all respects.
We will have a vent that leads outside of the house. We are leaning towards
the microwave only because it saves us a lot of space. We are wondering what
is the maximum amount of burners used for the over the range microwave to
work at its Maximum effectiveness to remove the smoke/smell/grease.

The CFM varies on the combination units, with some newer models rated at
400 CFM, while older models were as little as 200 CFM. I bought one for
a rental unit last year that was rated at 400 CFM, and it wasn't all
that much more than the 300 CFM model.

By comparison, the good standalone range hoods (Asian models such as San
Yang Pai, "http://www.sanyangpai.com/RangeHoods.asp"), are up to 850
CFM. There was one of these in the house we bought, and it's very
effective. Every Chinese home seems to have a similar unit.

If you do a lot of high temperature stir frying then don't get an
integrated microwave/hood. The usual arrangement in Asian households is
a gas range, adjusted for the highest heat output, and a high power hood
of 750-850 CFM.

If you are just doing "normal" cooking, a combo unit with a 400 CFM
exhaust fan is no worse than many of the standalone hoods. I.e. the
Bosch stainless steel 36" range hood sold by Sears for around $400 is
only 400 CFM as well, and there are standalone hoods that are even lower.

If you are getting a standalone powerful hood, eschew the expensive ones
from the U.S. companies, which can cost $2000. For $800-1000 you can get
a much better unit from an Asian building supply store.