I would want one, but I think they typically recommend a hood that's 6" wider than the cooktop for gas, but that wouldn't be necessary for induction.

My thoughts are the same as the above commenters'. I would cook the same foods and create the same amount of grease and fumes so of course I would need a fan. But it likely doesn't need to be wider than the cooktop which is a good idea when using gas.

I suppose it doesn't need a hood if you don't cook on it.... I've spent years before the remodel without a hood and really got tired of steaming up the house from cooking/boiling - it's just not great for you kitchen and house. Agree with less powerful being fine, especially compared to the super high BTU gas stoves. We have a 600 cfm hood but rarely use it on high, 400 would be fine in all likelihood. The larger hood to range is optimal so that you capture all of the steam/grease coming off the food which does spread out some, so it is better to have this even with induction (although truth be told I paired 36" hood with 36" induction cooktop). I do think it's less necessary with induction than with a high BTU gas stove, and in reality it just means I bump up the settings a little more frequently than I would with a larger capture size.

I disagree with 'not need any ventilation at all', unless one doesn't cook! Understanding that an overhead hood is optimal vs downdraft, DH was adamantly opposed to having a monster hanging down in the middle of our kitchen (open floor plan & 10' ceiling). We opted for a telescoping vent hood (still odd to me that they call it a hood) that rises ~ 15", and chose an induction model whose larger burners (on which we do the vast majority of our cooking/sauteeing/boiling) are towards the rear -- closest to the vent hood for maximum suck-uppage.

That's just silly. I have induction and my cooking creates smoke, grease, steam. I like what lharpie said - it would be true if you don't plan to cook on it. I went with a popup downdraft which is a no-no here but it works fine for the kind of cooking we do.

On an island you actually do want it to be wider, a lot wider if possible, than the cooktop because without a wall and cabinets, you are without the boundaries that a wall cooktop has. Ideally, at least. At minimum, get a really good popup downdraft. They really are much better than nothing! (Gas vs induction....they require pretty much the same venting unless you're talking gas with a grill or that sort of smoky thing.)

An island (well, funky peninsula, but similar) range with no ventilation was a driving motivation to a serious kitchen gut for me. There were some things I simply could not cook without risking smelly damage to things in the home. A closed kitchen? Yeah ok. But if your kitchen is open to other rooms and you aren't careful with what you cook, you'll end up having one of those homes that smell.

We have had our induction range about two weeks, waiting for our new (downdraft) hood. The range replaced a dead downdraft kitchenaide range. I noticed the cooking smells immediately without a vent hood, and we're pretty plain jane cooks. I've been cracking the window, Wisconsin January temps or not!

I have a 36" induction cooktop and am very grateful for my 42" Kobe 1100CFM hood.

Before this reno, the previous lived w/ an electric range w/out a hood for 30+years, and boy, there was grease/grime everywhere. Ugh.

*sigh*

A hood is not determined by the fuel used to cook with - it's determined by the food being cooked! Does the blog's author actually think boiling water won't give off steam if it's boiled on an induction cooktop instead of a gas or traditional electric???? Or that browning meat won't splatter grease if it's browned using induction?

As was stated previously, island cooktops/ranges really need an overhead hood that is at least 6" wider than the cooktop and 27" deep. In addition, the fan needs to be more powerful. Why? First, understand that cooking produces steam, odors, grease, fumes, etc., and that these things naturally rise. As they rise, they quickly expand. To exhaust them to the outside, hoods need to be able to capture them and hold them until the fan can remove them. On an island, you not only do not have a wall and surrounding cabinets to assist in the corralling process, but there are more and stronger air currents over an island than against the wall - so the hood needs to work harder! In addition, the hood must be installed per the manufacturer's specifications - even if it means it blocks your line of sight (which is another reason not to have a cooktop on an island or peninsula!)

A downdraft is ineffective unless

(1) it's telescoping

-and-

(2) all your cooking is done only on the burners right next to the fan

-and-

(3) your pots & pans are all shorter by a few inches than the top of the fan.

I'm speaking from experience - we rented a place for two weeks with a downdraft - one of the ones that are supposed to be the "best" - Dacor - it was noisy and useless for most of the cooking we did!

+++++++++++++

The blog's author is clueless - but that's not unusual when a blog is written by a salesman instead of someone who understands cooking, basic atmospheric physics, and the environmental effects of grease/steam/odors.etc.

Yes, yes, ventilation is still necessary with induction. As everyone else has said, cooking produces steam, grease, etc, no matter what kind of cooktop you use.

But there is a kernel of truth in there--kind of. Gas produces combustion products inside the house, where induction does not. So there is more to exhaust if you use gas and less to exhaust if you use induction.

Doesn't mean you can skip a vent hood if you have an induction cooktop though.

Congratulations! This is a record. First time I think I've ever read a thread on this website where everyone agreed. Seriously.

Anyway, I thought the guy who wrote that article was off his rocker. Kind of a bummer because Yale has a lot of articles online and this makes me question everything they post.

If you're worried about the line of sight issue, you can check out the European style vent hoods that are specifically made for island cooktops. Many of them can be installed either with ducts or ductless. Right now Sears is having a huge sale of their island hoods, mainly by two manufacturers (not Sears, they just sell them): AKDY and Golden Vantage. I've got my eye on a 36" AKDY for a 30" induction cooktop. It's regularly $1,099 but is currently on sale for $399. I think they look really cool and the reviews are great. You can also get the AKDY hoods from Amazon.com (Not sure about the Golden Vantage). They are close to the same price. The one I'm looking at has 870 cpm. You can look online to figure out how many cpm is appropriate for the size of your home. My house is only 920 sq ft, so I could get away with 400 cpm; however, the AKDY has 3 speed controls, so I would experiment to see what works in reality. Here's a picture of the one I'm looking at:

What crl said. I have induction (against a wall) in a condo with no possibility of venting to the outside. I do have a great recirculating hood, but the best recirculating hood is no match for an exterior venting hood. I made carmelized onions and smelled it for weeks, and we have plenty of open windows!