We are putting in the same range top, but without the griddle. Here is what I have learned so far regarding hoods, although I still have some questions: 1. The hood is much more expensive than I was prepared for, but up to this point we had only done a small one with mesh filters. 2. Size. Wider is better, in both length and depth. Since you are doing a built-in cabinet you'll be getting an insert, and I think those are typically wider than a lot of the chimney style hoods. Regarding length, some will tell you to have 1-2 inches extra on either side, which would mean 42" for a 36" range top. By the way, our location limits us to a 36" hood, which is why we're particularly concerned with depth and CFMs. 3. Noise. External blowers, particularly if you add a silencer, are generally quieter than an internal blower. I think in-line blowers may also cut down on the noise, but I'm less sure about how those work. Also, make sure the duct work is large enough (don't try to have a high CFM blower with a 6" duct). Finally, if you get some models and are trying to make a decision, another value to look at is the Sones, which actually measures the noise level. 4. Filters. Many seem to think hoods with removable baffle filters are the best. Otherwise I think you want to look for removable filters that are dishwasher safe and fit in the DW if you don't want to hand wash. 5. Brands. Modern Aire. They get high marks on this forum, but they seem quite pricey (to us). Abbaka. People seem to generally have very good reviews on these and they have a lot of insert and custom options. If we were doing a cabinet, I would investigate them. Vent-a-Hood: Many people think these are too loud, but some people are happy with them. Best by Broan and Broan. These typically get good reviews. Best is the top line, somewhat better materials, more options, etc. We're looking at Best because we need a chimney style hood. Wolf, Viking, BlueStar, Miele, etc. all have their own hoods. I would bet the people putting in your BlueStar know about the custom insert options for all these brands. Zephyr & Kobe - You will also find good reviews for these two brands. Abbaka and Modern Aire are more custom, so you need to talk to someone about them. For the rest, try AJ Madison. You can go to their website, choose cabinet insert range hoods and browse through about 94. http://www.ajmadison.com/b.php/Cabinet+Insert%3BRange+Hoods/N~32+4294960474

The short and more accurate answer is "no." The longer answer is "maybe". A lot will depend on the type of cooktop and cooking that you do, as well as your definition of :decent". If you are planning an electric cooktop and just plan to cook a few veggies now and then or do a meat sauce for pasta, then you will probably be OK with a popup downdraft. If your cooking needs are more high heat intense or exotic, then a popup won't really handle the heat, odors, grease and steam that higher demand cooking generates, even if you are doing it over an induction cooktop. A popup won't really work with any gas flame at all without pulling it to one side---if it's actually got some CFM. It it isn't very powerful, then what's the point? An overhead vent remains the best choice for island cooking ventilation. However, getting the cooktop off of the island and putting it elsewhere in the kitchen may cost less than attempting to do overhead venting in some homes. It would be best to explore designs both ways. Running a gas line is a couple of hundred dollars. Running a vent straight through the wall is probably about the same cost. You gotta weigh the pros and cons of moving things around vs. keeping the same location and reworking the ventilation.

Thank you everyone so much for making suggestions! My mom has the links to these threads now (one in kitchens and one in appliances) and is following along. She has jury duty this week and her soccer team just had an inglorious end to their season, so all your kind help is a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster week. :) @multiple people who suggested recirculating ventilation How exactly does recirculating work? You have a hood, but it's just...not vented? So it's just like a fan? @westsider Your "Way better everything" line made my mom laugh. I totally agree that she will completely prefer induction in every way (although her current cooktop is not setting the bar particularly high...). @fishcow Ha! Ohhhh I have been there. I hope you never ever have to do those things you are avoiding! We are definitely going to look into the least deep cooktop possible, inspired by your suggstion. I may start a different thread just asking for the least deep cooktop anybody can find or already knows of. Surely there's some people with old/historic homes with non-standard counter depth who have looked for that too. @rebunky https://publishers.playbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/pb-wink.gif @practigal It's a cabinet underneath. Just posted pictures and dimensions! @cpartist My mom also laughed (twice -- both times she read the thread) at "Your parents absolutely need induction." Like me, she was very interested in the in-ceiling vent you posted, and she she sent it to her contractor to see what he thought. Do you have any experience with something like that? Does it work at all?

I think it really depends. Nothing that moves that much air is going to be quiet. If you can have remote blowers and inline mufflers, then you can reduce some of the sound; and in that case, a VAH might very well the obviously inferior choice. But even then, you still have the noise at the baffles. So, don't expect the hood to be whisper quiet. We have a 20 odd year old VAH. As long as the vent pipe is adequately sized, it works great and noise level is IMHO in the expected range. We also have a new ModernAire hood with internal blowers. It has more power than our old VAH, but it can be really really loud. And part of that is simply the whistling sound that the air makes when it passes the baffles at full air velocity. If I turn down fan speed, it's about as loud as the old VAH. In other words, I don't really perceive a big difference between either designs. Pick what works best considering all your other design constraints. And absolutely make sure that your vent pipe is as large as you can make it.