Will you have a prep sink? Or just the one?

I thought one sink was cool because I could get big pots in it. But after looking at the way we cook, two or three compartments is best for us. Dishes on one side; bad stuff like raw chicken cleanings on the other. Basically a clean side and a side that can become contaminated on the other. The dirty side must be sanitized, of course, after the chicken leaves, but "clean" dishes and pots and tools on the other side do not have to be sanitized because they were not cross contaminated.
We always have a dish side and a prep side during cooking; the prep side becomes the wash side during washup.
Just one opinion.

I have always shared Bugbite's view...until now that we have a prep sink. Now I wish I had one large bowl, and I usually drain things on the counter. But if no prep sink, I would always have a dbl bowl...The kind with one large side and the other one larger. (Like the Kohler Clarity that we have now and the Kohler Executive Chef we had before...Sometimes called 1 3/4 sinks, I think.)

We won't have a prep sink - no room for one.

I previously had two bowls, but found with the new cookware I received for Christmas last year, I was always hitting the handles. With our remodel, I opted for a large single bowl. So far so good. What doesn't go into the dishwasher is washed by hand and set on dish towels on the counter, then hand dried.

I don't have a prep sink, but went for the one large single bowl because I was always annoyed cleaing all the baking/roasting pans in our previous 2 bowl sink (which was still pretty big). I do about 3/4 of the wash in the dishwasher and handwash all the pots/pans, knifes, etc. When I've got a lot of handwashing I do an assembly line of dirty on the right side of sink (on counter), wash all in bowl, rinse everything, then to dry towels on the left side of sink on counter. I don't usually leave much out to drip dry but will hand dry and put away (unless late at night and I just need to go to bed!). I know others have used a large dishpan inside of the single bowl as the 'wash basin', which I've done in a previous kitchen and worked well. I guess I personally would have been more annoyed by the inability to soak and clean a big pan/sheet!

We have one bowl with a strainer shelf thingy that is good to lay clean pots on to air dry. We have a prep sink too.

Both of them are sitting in boxes in the garage. :(

We have both a 2-bowl main/cleanup sink and single bowl prep sink. We love them both and would not change either!

The large bowl of the cleanup sink is 21-1/2" wide and holds even our widest cookie sheets & dishes. Our small bowl is 10-1/2" wide. We find that we stack and rinse dishes in the large bowl and keep the small bowl clear for other uses. When actually cleaning up, my DH soaks the silverware & utensils in the small bowl while using the large bowl for scraping and, if needed, soaking the insides of dishes. I also find we put our glasses in the small bowl during the day...it keeps them from being broken when someone throws something into the large bowl! (Yes, that happens occasionally!)

I would never have a single bowl cleanup sink. But, I would also not have equal-sized bowls as they're too small for many dishes and too big for soaking silverware, etc. The 1-1/2 setup we have is ideal for us.

We just did a kitchen reno, and we installed a Kohler Executive Chef, which has a very large and deep basin on one side, and a smaller one on the other. IMO, a double basin is more practical.

Also, most of the new pots and pans for the past few years have labels that say no dishwasher. I have a large chicken fryer size pan that always stuck out in my old double basin sink when I tried to soak it, and it sits perfectly in the new Kohler.

The Kohler's come in sooo many pretty colors, too.

This topic is one of the most frequently asked on this Forum. There is no right or wrong choice; it depends on your cooking/cleaning style in your kitchen, and also on the amount of space you have for a sink. Your OP does not mention what size of sink you are considering, or what size will be your base cabinet for your sink. IMHO, if you do not have a lot of space for a sink, you are better off with a single bowl so that you can soak large pans. If you have more room for a sink, then you have more options for the double bowl like what Buehl has. Also, IMHO, if you are space-constrained, a rectangular sink will give you more interior space than a D-shaped one.

I myself have a large rectangular single-bowl sink. I have the space for a double bowl, but really wanted a single bowl. I love it, and would never go back to a double-bowl, but that's just me. As to Bugbite's example of raw chicken, I will rinse a chicken under running water, and immediately place it on a cutting board, with the bad parts going down my powerful disposal or in the garbage immediately, so I am not leaving chicken sitting in my sink, so I don't see how a double bowl would help me with raw chicken, but that's just my style of prep. Speaking of my cutting board, it's large and heavy, and I am glad to have a large single bowl sink to clean it properly.

Also, I spent Very Big Bucks on my Miele dishwasher, and by golly, I am going to use it, so I don't have much that needs hand-washing or draining. I do hand-wash my pots and pans, and am very happy for the space of the single-bowl when I do so. Then I either dry them with a towel and put them away immediately, or put a towel down on the counter and leave them to dry before I go to bed.

So that's my style, but I hope that helps you understand why some people prefer a single bowl.

P.S. - when you are shopping for a sink, whether single or double bowl, it's nice to have an "offset drain". That's where the drain is not in the center of the bowl, but toward the back. That way, you can set dishes and pans down without covering the drain. It seems like a minor point, but it's really a nice convenience.

akchicago nailed it. It's completely a matter of matching your equipment to your style of cooking and cleaning. I have had double and triple sinks in previous kitchens and, although I appreciated the ability to perform separate functions in different compartments, I LOVE my single bowl now and would never, ever go back. I also have a prep sink, which undoubtedly contributes to my satisfaction with and affection for my big single bowl clean-up sink. I also have a sink grid, which means I can keep the things in my sink from getting sink crud on them.

I wash all pots, pans, mixing bowls, and knives by hand. I also wash my PC stoneware by hand, along with anything that has baked-on crud. Some stemware also gets washed by hand. All other dishes, utensils, and glassware go in the dishwasher, because I find it both more convenient and more sanitary. I have runnels in my countertop, which means I don't need to have a dish drainer out. The large items that get hand-washed are set on the runnels to dry. Knives, stemware, and other small items are often set on the sink grid to dry. All veggie washing gets done in the prep sink, but I do tend to rinse chicken in the clean-up sink--not sure why.

This setup fits my cooking and clean-up style perfectly, but it is simply a personal preference. There is no right or wrong choice. That said, I had not even imagined I could like a single bowl sink until I used one at a friend's house, and I found that I immediately started coveting it. I went through all my sink-related routines in my head, and decided I could manage them all just fine with one bowl. Once I decided to also get a prep sink, any lingering doubts evaporated.

This is a questions that has been coming up for years and one I thought about for the last 2 homes we built. I now choose the single bowl. Its currently just DH and I in the home but we have extended family over often and the large cookware comes out enough that the large sink is easiest for me. Personally I dont like seeing a draining rack out daily, but I am not busy with children any longer and the taxing schedule a full time parent has. Normal days I wash coffee cups and glassware, (doesnt take more than a couple minutes for 2 people) and sit them on a towel, rinse out the sink and grab another towel, dry stuff and put away, I dont even use the drain rack normally. If I am having a crowd the dishwasher is used, otherwise it takes almost a week for just the 2 of us to fill it with plates and cups. I dont like a drainer out all the time, but then again, its not necessary for me anymore without children in the house. So think about how you use the sink area and install what will work for your particular needs. A single bowl is more visually appealing to me personally but family, lifestyle, time, and function should be the first concern.

We have a single sink, the Franke Orca, which can take all kinds of large cookie sheets and pans, but it also has a side rack (removable) to keep items separate from the rest, for draining, or whatever. It gives you some of the qualities of a double sink, while still giving you a single sink.

I also chose the Franke Orca with the bottom and side grids. It is fantastic for us. I too spent big bucks on a Miele dishwasher and made sure most of my cookware was dishwasher safe. The occasional hand-washed dish goes on the side shelf of the sink, and stuff that needs a soak (or the cumbersome refrigerator drawers) fits right into the large bowl. I don't have a prep sink, just the Orca.
My only complaint is that the bottom grid is 1 piece, so it won't fit in the dishwasher. If you like patina, I'd just skip that grid altogether. My sink still looks new 1 year later, so I'm happy to scrub the sucker!

WOW - I could have written the post by schmaltzy above. That is exactly my situation, Orca sink with grids, Miele DW. Love, love,love the sink and DW. Wish the bottom grid would fit in the DW. Would not do without the grid however because it keeps the sink looking new. I switched from a double to a single, no prep. Love the size and shape of the ORCA and the little grid that fits to the right is perfect for the ocassional items that need to drain. The only caveat is that the grid coating will melt if you place a HOT pan on it. You need to let your pan cool a bit.

Our renovation was all about maximizing space and flexibility.

A single bowl, to me, is the best of all worlds. I tend to use it like a double bowl by placing a small plastic washtub in it for sudsy water. If I want more sink space, the washtub is easy to lift out onto the counter (even when mostly full with water and hand wash items). I love having the entire sink available for soaking oven racks and the top range grates and washing large items like our cutting board. I like washing stock pots without having to ease them into the space. I had double bowl sinks all my life until this renovation and I wouldn't go back. The divider took up valuable space and I was always clanging items into it. I like having the ability to divide up my large sink into separate spaces determined by my needs---as an example, I can have a colander and washtub sitting in the sink and still have the drain area available for me to peel vegetables over. Having just one drain really opens up the available space in the cabinet under the sink (we don't have a gd or instahot.)

We do have a prep sink but it's on the opposite side of the kitchen. The main sink is in my cooking area and I use it for all types of tasks (prep and clean up) and like having flexibility. I tend to handwash all plastics (I find the dw really shortens the life of many of my platics), wood, cast iron fry pans, large pots and baking sheets/muffin tins. I tend to wash the items in the washtub and then place them in the sink next to it until I have a large pile to rinse all at once. I find I really like having the washtub in the sink or on the counter so that I can throw things into it while I'm cooking. Our dw is next to our prep sink so that dishes can be loaded there leaving the main sink free for washing non-dw items (theoretically 2 people can be working on clean up at the same time.)

We had the Kohler Executive Chef , the right side ended up as a drying rack area. Great sink otherwise .

We just got a Blanco silgranite 515-555 super single . We still have a drying area ,with a deep bowl to soak stir fry pans / risotto pans .With under-mounted sink ,its much cleaner and hides dishes . If I need more bowls I drop one in .

Hi Diane4570,

I grew up with a single bowl sinks. Family's summer
home had an old fashioned farm house sink. And our
main home had a single. I remember washing every night.
But as a married woman and young mom I had two bowl
sinks in all the homes I have owned. Until this kitchen
renovation. I had to choose a sink and spent time thinking
about how I cook, how my kids leave their dishes about
and in general what I wanted.

Everyone tried to talk me out of a single bowl.
The Plumber, my DH, My cousin, a few friend....
They thought I was silly to want just one sink.
But who is the one who cleans up? Me.
I wanted a simple one bowl sink, super deep that could
hold a turkey roaster pan and hide dirty dishes.
I chose a non flashy sink by Oliveri.

Undermount.
30L, 18W and 10 deep. (This is deeper with my thick
granite counters being almost 11.5 inches deep)
Brushed stainless steel,
Some insulation to be quiet.

Oliveri makes sinks with any configuation you like.
They make industrial size, european style and ....
grids, cutting boards, sink racks, insert tubs....
On the link below I posted how to find them.
I posted about this subject.

This sink is not the one in my kitchen.
But the one I chose.

I would figure out how you cook, clean and use your
sink. My SIL has a double (tiny on one side, larger on the
other) she loves this sink for cleaning veggies.
My neighbor has a Franke Orca and good friend has a
sink with a shallow center shelf for resting items
to be rinsed. (Her DH had this sink designed for her)

Everyone is different and loves what they love.
I love my sink.

~boxerpups

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless Undermount Sink Recs - talk to me!