Tell me about your pop up downdraft cooktop please

[Anonymous]

We have an in-island cooktop. We are considering replacing the island material and cook top (island will remain the cooktop location). Currently have large hood over it and thinking about changing to one of those cooktops with downdrafts that pops up when we get a new island surface.


Are they any good? Do they break all the time? It would open up our kitchen a lot to not have the big hood vent hanging in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Ours is not a pop up, it's integrated into our cooktop and I LOVE it, it's so powerful and very easy to clean. I literally never cleaned the filter in the range hood of our old house. I shudder to think how gross it must have been, LOL. Ours is this one:

https://www.kitchenaid.com/major-appliances/cooktops/electric-cooktops/electric-downdraft-cooktops/p.30-electric-downdraft-cooktop-with-4-elements.kced600gss.html?

[Anonymous]

Ours is pop up. Works great and have had it about 6 years so far.

[Anonymous]

I have the thermador and it seems to work well.

[Anonymous]

If you are a casual or pretend cook they work great

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are a casual or pretend cook they work great

I am an excellent cook and while my separate downdraft is not ideal or robust, it does the job and is aesthetically pleasing.

[Anonymous]

I have Thermador cooktop and pop up fan and like it. I like that the grates are low profile. It’s 4 years old and no issues so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are a casual or pretend cook they work great

Do you feel better now that you've been such a b*&$% to complete strangers on the internet now? How pathetic.

[Anonymous]

I also have a Thermador gas cooktop with pop up fan and I hate the pop up fan. It isn’t as powerful as the range hood we had in a prior home, and drips and crumbs fall into the space. Also no one wants to be sitting at the island when the fan poos up bc there is a breeze on the other side, and it is loud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours is not a pop up, it's integrated into our cooktop and I LOVE it, it's so powerful and very easy to clean. I literally never cleaned the filter in the range hood of our old house. I shudder to think how gross it must have been, LOL. Ours is this one:

https://www.kitchenaid.com/major-appliances/cooktops/electric-cooktops/electric-downdraft-cooktops/p.30-electric-downdraft-cooktop-with-4-elements.kced600gss.html?

I love the idea of the integrated type. So they really work? It’s hard to imagine it being able to pull down enough smoke. How do they vent outside? I’m guessing I’d have to have my island cabinetry modified to make space for ducts? Do they cut it out via floor or does nothing actually go outside?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours is not a pop up, it's integrated into our cooktop and I LOVE it, it's so powerful and very easy to clean.

+1.

Had an island range with a fixed (not popup) downdraft vent at a previous house. We were very happy with it and would do it. again if we had an island.

[Anonymous]

Op here. What I’m realizing as I read all this is that maybe I’m stuck with the giant hood. It looks like the integrated options as well as pop up types would require major ductwork and at a minimum we’d lose our under cooktop drawers basically seems like we’d need entirely new island cabinetry to get those.

I found awesome looking ductless ones that hang like pendants by futuro futuro brand. Anyone ever heard of this company? I’m hesitant to shell out to an unknown but their pendant styles would be really great for opening up our small kitchen.