The current set up also is probably against the manufacturer requirements for distance between the cooktop and the adjacent cabinets. There will probably be at least finish damage to those cabinets and potentially scorching or worse. Ideally the hood would be a 42" wide for your cooktop.

You MUST replace with the 36" hood. What you have now is against Building Code because it's a fire hazard. I can't even believe you got anyone to agree to install that hood (or was it DIY?). The reason is that it leaves some combustible material of the cabinetry exposed to the cooktop. Even more dangerous with a gas flame. You must change this out right away.

The cabinet above is a 36" right? Then get a 36" hood and switch it out....not that expensive.

If the upper cabinet is a 30" or 33" then you've got problems. Live with it or redo.

Check your local building codes, what you have should be fine from that standpoint. From a health and cleanliness standpoint, you want those fumes and vapors vented out of your kitchen. It's worth replacing for that reason. Research the BTUs that a hood will vent properly. I'm really sorry that you have to deal with this. Bummer.

Ooh, if you did his lighting idea, you'd have an illuminated, easy-to-see example of why you need a 36" stove as those lights become covered in stove ick!

Ok, I'm just kidding, and I hope you read this in the good humor which with it is intended. Definitely replace the hood with a 36" - no question. You are losing seriously hood functionality otherwise (i.e., reduced capture), leaving adjacent surfaces open to cooking grime, and at worst creating a fire hazard. I think you'd regret the 30" pretty quickly if you cook regularly.

Fire hazard. You needed a 42”, and since you have to redo all of those cabinets anyway, you might as well get that.

Part of the problem is that people always say on design forums how "terrible" ranges with backguards look because it "ruins the line" of the backsplash.

They appear to mount a 30" range hood over a 30" range, but allow additional space to each side so that the upper cabinets are farther apart than 30"

This appears to be the Jenn-Air JGC3536GS 36" gas cooktop which requires a 42" opening above the cooktop and a minimum 30" "clearance between top of cooktop platform and bottom of uncovered wood or metal cabinet cabinet". This location is suitable only for a 30" cooktop if the hood is replaced with one 36" wide.

Thank you everyone, we are going ahead and replacing this by 36" good

The skirting on your uppers is overly close to gas flames, imo. I'd feel more comfortable with an induction cooktop. Mele or Bosch are good options.

I haven't had a range hood in over a year. Nothing is gonna catch fire unless you have a real fire, and at that point all bets are off

They live among us folks. 🙄

I would have same mental block if i knew the difference. But!…had i not known i would not have noticed. i woulx have been trying to study it to figure it out. i think you should try your husbands idea to see if that calms you