I will be watching this.. I currently have a 50/50 and am trying to decide between 60/40 and single bowl. My concern with single bowl is where to put the pots& pans to dry - I don't have much counter space for a drying rack.

60/40 - one side for dirty dishes/soaking pots/pans, one side for clean dishes or washing veggies or draining pasta.

Single! Single! I had a 50/50 for years, and now that I have a 30" undermount (10 inches deep) I'd never go back. Soaking cookie sheets, lasagna pans, tall pitchers has never been easier. You can put in a plastic tub if you want a separate rinse area...but I don't use it. Get a pull-down spray faucet and you're set.

Agree with rhome410 here. My situation is exactly as described. Only room for one sink. I went from a 50/50 to a 60/40. The larger side comfortably soaks my large saute pan and cookie sheets.

I debated the same thing...
Went with the 60/40 since I don't have a prep sink and we are 'dumpers' - so stuff sits in the sink for a while. Then we leave the drying in the smaller side too and neither mess is immediately visible!

I just went through the same single vs. 60/40 debate last week prior to ordering my new sink! I decided to go with the 60/40. One side is still a huge sink for large pots, and I can prep in the smaller side of the sink (even got a colander that fits over it). I don't like the plastic tub/makeshift compartment idea, I've done that for years and it always annoyed me. My sink is 10 inches deep in both compartments, I had a little trouble finding a 60/40 that didn't have a shallower "40" compartment. I have no clue why they are like that, but I guess it's another feature to consider when getting the 60/40 sink.

See http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?36082-Single-Basin-Kitchen-Sink-better-than-Double

There is less and less need for double-basin sinks now.

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People who have installed a single basin kitchen sink love it.
They say they'll never go back to a double basin sink again.
Even those who say they hand wash pots and pans.

E.g. : " It's a lot easier to wash them when they're flat on the bottom of the sink. And I do mean flat. Not only does the handle of a pan fit in the sink but the bottom of the sink is nearly flat . That comes in handy when you want to put a bunch of dishes/glasses in the sink. ..."

E.g. : " We have replaced any double basin sink we've ever had with a large, deep single basin everywhere we've lived. We're both cooks and kitchen conscious people and find that a large deep single basin sink with a high rise pull out faucet is best for the reasons stated above. Go for it and you won't regret it. Cheers."

Washing and rinsing large items is much easier in a single basin sink.
So splitting the space into a double sink is a bad compromise.
A better compromise is that shape of sink that offers two levels (Blanco Cascade, Swanstone Ascend, etc) or others with a very very low divider separating the two areas of which one area has a higher bottom.

The more space you give to the sink, the less you have in your counter.
Here is another great reason to go with a single sink --unless you have too much counter !

If the sink is a D-shape, mount it in one of the back corners rather than centered in the back. A large D-shaped undermount sink will have its limitations, but you won't feel particularly deprived because you won't have two sinks.

The Kohler Stages sink is another compromise which increases your counter surface by hanging cutting boards and containers over the rim.

Sinks are deeper now than ever before. The main reason, in my mind, is that people can stash stuff they intend to let soak (+ rinse later), and not have to see the stuff from all angles when they are in the general vicinity of the sink. This works. When someone else leaves stuff to rinse later, other people seem pleased that the stuff is not in their field of vision when they walk by. The largest of the Large sinks let you "work around" that stuff too, so you are not completely blocked. Many people with deep and large single sinks find they like being able to hang a colander over the sink rim, and rinse veggies. They can also hang a temporary wash basin over the sink rim and wash stuff over their one and only main sink.

Dishwashers are quieter than ever, and do more than ever before.
All the posts above talk about washing pots by hand.
Methinks folks doth protest too much. Or remember too much how it used to be.
Let the DW be now what it is, a device for washing pots.
Don't let old habits make you think you need a double basin.

hth

"If there is no prep sink, as in their case, if I remember right, I'd still prefer a 60/40, so food and dishes can be separated."

i agree. I have not had a real problem with the big side of the sink being too small for my pots/pans. maybe i just don't use super big ones. They were fairly big when there were 4 kids at home tho.

Those with out a prep sink have a different need than those with one.

another thought was - who will be using this sink? it should be their choice.

I had a large single sink and many years ago switched to a 60/40 deep basin. While I can't wash large pans flat, I prefer the two basins. Also, I find that with the deep basin, 12", and an undermount, leaning over into the sink creates back pain for me, so washing pans at an angle is preferable. I think it comes down to personal preference.

My last sink was divided into something other than 60/40, but I don't know what you call it--I think Blanco's version is "1 & 1/2 double bowl". The small side is quite narrow, but just right for me to rinse dishes into it (w/ garbage disposal on that side) and then place them in the bigger bowl to sit or soak or wait till I'm ready to fill the dishwasher. I liked it so well, that it is what I'm going to put in my new kitchen, too. I tried the one large bowl out in my mind, but it just didn't work for what I like.

I've used both and prefer a single large sink.

I had a 50/50 in my last kitchen. In my new kitchen I have a 60/40. It is so much better than the 50/50. My only problem with the 40 side is that a dish drain does not fit in it. That is the only reason I got the 60/40 rather than a single (to drain dishes). I've tried 2 different kinds and they are a tad too big to fit inside the sink. I was just thinking the other day that if I had to do anything different in my kitchen is that I'd get a single bowl but I'd still have the dilemma where to put the dishes to drain?

As far as the garbage disposal I recommend putting it in the side that you will be putting your dirty dishes. That way you can always keep one side relatively clean. I put ours on the 60 side.

Thanks all.

I think we will do a 60/40 or a 75/25 because there is no prep sink and I agree with rhome about prepping over dirty dishes.

Those of you with 60/40 sinks, can you share your brand and models and what you like and don't like.

TIA

We have a 60/40 because we do not have a prep sink. We have been back in the kitchen for about two months and we really like this sink. We went from a 50/50 6" depth to this 60/40 10" and 8". It is so much bigger and nicer than before. We also have the sink grids and I really like those. Not having them before, I wasn't sure, but I was convinced by Garen Webbers and happy that we have them. Our sink is a private label brand (Mirabelle). The money I saved on the sink I used for other things in the kitchen.
Good luck with your search!
{{!gwi}}

Not sure what kind you want (stainless, cast iron, etc), but we have a Kohler Clarity now (shown below), and had a Kohler Executive Chef in our last house. Both white cast iron. The Exec Chef had a 10" deep side, but I didn't feel a great need for that depth again and preferred the squarer shape of the bowls in the Clarity, as well as the lesser price tag. I'd consider both to be great sinks that I could recommend.

Bowl sizes (interior near top): 19" front to back x 15" wide, and 16" front to back x 12 1/2" wide

Steeler fan--is that little side faucet you have for filtered water? If so, what brand? It looks so much better than the ones I've been seeing.

Thanks.

"It's a lot easier to wash them when they're flat on the bottom of the sink. And I do mean flat. Not only does the handle of a pan fit in the sink but the bottom of the sink is nearly flat . That comes in handy when you want to put a bunch of dishes/glasses in the sink. ..."

I have a 60/40 (or 70/30) double-bowl sink and ALL my pots & pans (including handles), cookie sheets, refrigerator shelves/bins (with one exception), etc. fit completely flat in the large bowl (21-1/2" wide). The only exception is the 32" deli tray/bin...but I don't think it would fit in most single bowl sinks either (the larger ones, probably, but not the ones less than 33" wide).

My widest pot (not pan) and most of my colanders also fit in the small bowl.

Glasses, etc. also sit just fine in the bottom...I do have a sink grid, but even w/o it we have no problems. It's great having one side to soak or do other things in it while the other bowl is available for rinsing, etc....and both bowls have a drain so you can use/empty one w/o affecting the other bowl (something you cannot do with a dish pan).

I have to say that I, too, really do not like having to have dishpans to move around or find storage space for just to emulate the functionality of a double-bowl sink!

The secret to a really functional double-bowl sink is to get one that has a large bowl...preferably no narrower than 20". If your sink base is less than 33", then you may not be able to get a sink with a bowl big enough so you might very well be better off w/a single bowl. (Our old, equal-sized double-bowl sink was not very useful...the bowls were somewhere b/w 15" and 17" wide...I can't remember now!)

I had this same dilemma - I initially really wanted a big single sink. Part of my issue is that I wasn't convinced I wanted a deep sink, with all the comments about leaning over and back issues. I actually like using a plastic bowl to do dishes in, saves water plus I hate the clinking of dishes on metal. So the separation wasn't really an issue. But we're not having a prep sink, and I did want two people to be able to do different things at this sink if necessary, so decided to go with a double.

We ended up with the Blanco Super Supreme U 1 3/4. I looked long and hard for one that would have one side big enough to soak baking pans, pizza stones, etc - this one is 18.5" square on the left side. The right side is also a decent size, so we can wash or drain dishes in that as well. The right side is also only 7" deep, so we have a depth option as well.

People thought I was nuts when I said how hard it was to choose a sink "not it's not, look at them all!". The problem wasn't in knowing what I wanted, it was finding it!

Do I like it? Well, it looks nice sitting in the garage, waiting for the cabinets... :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Blanco sink

I have the same sink as buehl. I love it--left side is big enough for everything.

Thanks again

Buehl and countrygal, is that a TICOR? If not, what do you both have?

Thanks again

Buehl and countrygal, is that a TICOR? If not, what do you both have?

I also have the same sink setup as Buehl's. I was just thinking last night how much I love it because all my pots and pans fit easily fit in it for washing/soaking. We use the smaller sink more for prep and our garbage disposal is in that sink. And I LOVE my sink grids, too!

Yes, it's a Ticor! It's the Ticor S405D in a 36" sink base with no modifications needed to the sink base. (My sink base has 1/2" walls, just an fyi.)

Definitely single. Had a double forever, and never liked it. I have the 32 x 19 x 10 (ext) with 30 x 17 x 10 (int) from moderndanish.com for under $288. Super service! The sink is absolutely gorgeous!

The small faucet to the right of the faucet handle is the faucet for the filtered hot/cold water. The brand is insinkerator. The model is HC-View-SS in Satin Nickel. Filtration is optional with this model (misunderstanding), but we added the filter during plumbing trimout. We have always had filtered cold water, but added filtered hot and we enjoy both and are happy we have it.