Many years ago, the Central County Fire Department came to our doorstep in Burlingame, California, after we had inadvertently filled our tiny kitchen with smoke. My dad embarrassedly told the firefighters, “Sorry, I was just making garlic chicken.” We'll always laugh about the garlic chicken incident from 2007, but my poor kitchen ventilation continued into my adult life, when I lived in a tiny, draft-free apartment and frantically waved a dish towel around the blaring smoke detectors. Luckily, French designer Maxime Augay encountered a similar problem in college, which inspired him to invent the sleek, portable countertop hood.
AirHood's slogan, “Like a range hood, but better,” expresses exactly what Augay had in mind when he built his prototype. The design caught the attention of entrepreneur Markus Buck, who now serves as AirHood's director, and recognized that the product solved a common problem. “We see a clear solution to the problem of ventilation in small cooking environments, where grease buildup and, in particular, the generation of toxic fumes from burning fat, are an issue,” says Buck.
To simply call the AirHood a fan would be understating the value of its technology. The device is just over 13 inches tall and has a circular head for filtering and an internal fan. When turned on, one side sucks in smoke and odors, while the other side releases clean, filtered air. It all starts with the first multi-layer steel mesh filter (which Buck says captures 95% of grease particles). A separate charcoal filter behind the steel mesh captures smoke particles. Depending on what you're cooking, the fan's power can be switched from a minimum of 3,100 RPM to a maximum of 5,000 RPM. Great for people who like to grill steaks in small apartments.
AirHood's mission is not just to suppress odors and fumes, but to create a healthier environment for all cooks. Indoor air quality may be the last thing anyone thinks about while preparing dinner, but like other emissions, the compounds released into the air during cooking can cause a variety of issues, from respiratory problems to headaches and nausea. While AirHood's design is grounded in science, Augay and Buck knew it also needed another selling point: style and convenience. They didn't want a bulky kitchen accessory that home cooks would feel they needed to hide after use. With a sleek design and an array of bold colors, like cadmium orange and minimalist ivory white, AirHood blends seamlessly into a variety of lifestyles and decors.
Another gift Buck gets from the Airhood is cooking confidence: “I think people have some reservations about cooking with oil and the smell that oil can have in the kitchen. They say, 'I don't want oil in my living space and I don't have a solution.' The Airhood really removes that anxiety. I want people to cook more. I want this to become an everyday appliance.”
