I have a single portable induction burner and it is used for sauces and melting chocolate no vent required. BTW I run a catering biz from my home and entertain a lot and never had the need for a built in induction burner I happen to love gas and not interested in doing more induction.IMO you do not need to have a vent system for the induction that is not your main cooking appliance.

What do you define as "light weight cooking"? Just occasionally boiling water? Browning meat? Other?

Suggest you consider a countertop induction unit. No need to vent if only used for "light" cooking.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-induction-cooktop/

Buehl,

No meat. Basically Water, sauces, pasta, veggies. Anything that would use oil would be on the main stove.

I don't think a vent is necessary for light cooking - I assume that means you wouldn't be frying or otherwise cooking stuff that emits copious amounts of grease or has obnoxious permeating odors. An induction cooker also has fewer venting needs that a gas range.

My confession - I have an induction cooktop with an extremely good hood which I generally don't turn on because what I am cooking just doesn't need to be vented. I lived for many years with a "hood" that probably did nothing other than make noise and survived.

If you have the space for a built in induction and know that you will use it in that space - why not? For me built in trumps having clutter. The nice thing about an induction cooktop is that it works as additional counter space when not being used. I don't store anything on my induction top but it comes in handy when I need additional temporary counter space for any reason. I am not seeing why there is any benefit to getting a portable induction since you already know you will find one in that location functional.

Ideally, you should have a hood for both. Even boiling water can lead to "gunk" b/c the steam moistens things and then dust/dirt/pet hair/etc. land on the moist surfaces and adhere. In addition, the other types of cooking you list will produce odors that while they may smell great initially, become stale and will be permeating your home and linger for a day or so, especially if your Kitchen is wide open to other rooms.

Regarding using the hood...I use mine all the time. Since we got a decent hood (Vent-A-Hood) with our remodel, I have noticed a big improvement in air quality, especially old, lingering odors. I used to smell the previous night's cooking the next morning, now I don't even smell it the same evening. I've also noticed that my cabinets are cleaner than they were in my old Kitchen...and I used the old builder grade hood all the time in my old Kitchen. I know now it probably wasn't doing much, but I used it. (It probably did some good, but not nearly as good as my current hood!)

I wanted to add I don't understand why the need for a vent above an induction cooktop that is used for "light" cooking.

Quite a few people suggested a portable induction cooker in lieu of a built in. How is this different in terms of ventilation needs? Presumably a portable cooktop would not have a vent above the counter where it is used. There are many portable appliances like electric skillets, fry pans etc. which are used without a vent hood without it being considered to be dangerous or unhygienic.

You use the portable hob under the existing range hood. It's portable, so you can move it where you need it.

"Light" cooking is not the point -- it's the odors, etc., that will linger for days. The better sealed the home, the longer the stale odors will linger.

Plus, while the OP said it would not be used for any oil or fat based cooking, what is reality? Maybe the OP will be disciplined enough to not use it, but what about everyone else in the family?

Those other items have the same issue.

I even use my electric tea kettle under my range hood -- it protects the cabs, etc., from the moisture.

Look not to belabor the issue but many people don’t use portable cooking aids on top of the stove. Some use at the table. Many use them on counters.

Regardless, this is not a portable appliance -- it's built-in -- so portability is irrelevant in this case,