There is one unique feature of every smoky kitchen, this is improper ventilation.

Home cooks underestimate the power of the smoke that comes from the kitchen until everyone in the house starts coughing.

When this happens a lot of things can go wrong and in this post, we will be discussing the dangers of a smoky kitchen and how to eliminate this potential health hazard.

The Dangers Of A Smoky Kitchen

1. Poor air quality

In ancient times, the kitchen was normally outside and well ventilated with no walls but now it has been incorporated as part of the house, most modern kitchens have only a small window and then a door. This makes a kitchen have poor air quality when cooking especially during frying because the fumes coming out of the gas or electric range often has no place to go. This can cause carbon monoxide inhalation. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless of which when inhaled in small quantities can cause nausea, headaches, fainting and if it is at a high concentration, it can be fatal.

2. Cooking oil

Overheating cooking oil above its required heating temperature causes the oil to turn into greasy steam and make the kitchen smell of what’s being cooked, eventually, the grease steam settles on the walls of the kitchen making it look dirty. Also, overcooking oil when preparing your food is not healthy for the heart.

3. Health reasons

Having a smoky kitchen can trigger allergy attacks like asthma, eye irritation, and cough. Some studies found out that a smoky kitchen is one of the causes of childhood asthma. Sometimes, mothers don’t know that a smoky kitchen poses a health hazard to everyone in the home.

4. Fire Outbreak

Cooking has its hazards, and for the fact that fire is involved, it can lead to a fire outbreak especially when cooking is not properly attended to.

5. Poor Visibility

Poor visibility in a kitchen is very bad, it can cause trips and falls, and even burns.

How To Prevent Your Kitchen From Being Smoky

Location of the cooking range

The location of your cooking range in your kitchen is important, most times, it is best to locate your cooking range in front of a window because it will enable proper ventilation when cooking, also it will provide visibility.

Different types of cooking oils

Make use of the right type of oil when cooking, do not overuse oil because their chemical bonds change during overheating making your food taste different and makes it bad for the heart.

Proper ventilation of the kitchen

Making sure your kitchen is well ventilated is important, big windows are good to help circulate air in the kitchen.

Safety first- Keep a fire extinguisher

Sometimes we forget safety but it is very important because the kitchen is a place where many accidents can happen in the home. First, a kitchen must have a fire extinguisher to help combat fire immediately and not allowing it to spread. Also, using the right tools and equipment for cooking is key.

Install a range hood

Buying a wall mount range hood is very important especially when you cook a lot or don’t have much ventilation in your kitchen. Range hoods come in different styles, some even work with kitchen islands. They help to remove toxic and unwanted fumes and odors in the kitchen, keeping it well ventilated. The range hood also provides extra lighting to the kitchen so it is a good add-on for kitchens with poor visibility and poor ventilation.

Proper maintenance

Maintaining all kitchen equipment is very important as this makes cooking effective, keeping the kitchen safe and clean.