I just asked my two friends who have done kitchens recently to give me advice on this - both recommended a single sink. One went with a double in her own remodel and said she's now a bit sorry she did - she finds it's difficult to wash oversized platters, pots, cutting boards, etc. I still haven't decided for sure, but I'm leaning toward the single.

I love our new large single bowl sink with a center disposal and a grid on the bottom. I stack dirty dishes on the countertop to the left of the sink, scrape them into the sink, and load them into the dishwasher. Hand-wash items get lathered up and stacked on the left side of the grid, then rinsed. Some are set on a countertop dishtowel to dry; others rest on the right side of the grid to drain and dry. The grid allows dirty or soapy water to flow under the clean dishes without touching them. My single-bowl is about 29 inches across--not the largest of the large--but it's plenty big for my needs.

I am completely out of the loop. I have the Elkay triple sink with the disposal in the middle section. I love it. The large bowl is large enough for large casseroles and baking dishes. I wash most of my pots and pans by hand and I love having the disposal available even while I'm doing the dishes. I also have a prep sink in the beverage center.

http://www.kitchendesignnotes.com/2007/06/sinks-simple-truth-on-getting-best-sink.html

This is an article that helped me decide what sink to get. I got a single Julien sink with a grate. If i need to wash stuff by hand (rarely) I fill a basin, shallow and not that wide.
Love the large/deep sink to wash the cutting board or large cookie sheet.
Grate is good to keep clean thinks off the bottom while drying and still being able to use the other side to rinse veggies. - hope this helps

No question for me-double-we have the ticor as in the picture above-what a dream and fits well into our modern kitchen with councrete counters and built in cutting board that \i just wipe into smaller bowl with gd. Large sink is big enough for pots and pans.

I always wonder how useful the small sink would be. My Mom's all about the equal double - second sink gives her a place off of the counter to dry handwashed dishes - she still hand washes pots and plastic. I think the big bowl makes a lot of sense but there isn't much I wouldn't put in the dishwasher - I hate doing dishes.

Thanks for the responses,
Madyl,
Do you have a pic or web site for the grate you have in the bottom of the sink or is it silmilar to the other picture in this message. thanks

The small bowl actually fits quite a bit...especially for utensils, etc that often get caught on the bottom of the sink or that make it difficult to place something flat in the sink.

Small bowl:

Large bowl fits my longest pan/cookie sheet & a lot of dirty dishes:

Single sink. Double dishwashers! With modern DW's all you need to do is scrape, so there's no reason to have dishes pile up in the sink other than the DW isn't emptied of the clean dishes yet. So, the best of functionality is a large single sink that you can wash large baking sheets and gumbo pots in---the things that won't fit in any DW. Then you have 2 DWs, and instead of loading up the sink, you load up the DWs. No piled up dishes awaiting attention!

I miss my double sink. It's one of only a few regrets that I have. I like having a sink that will hold my large pans, which I didn't have before, but I miss that second sink for a dish drainer to hold the things I hand wash. Now I have to have the drainer on the counter.

I have had both styles and much prefer large single sinks. One thing you might look at is how much counter space you have on each side of the sink(s) and whether having that counterspace there would make a difference, either aesthetically or functionally. I currently have 21x19 10" deep D-bowls in my clean-up and prep areas and love them. If I could only have one, I'd still get that, or wider if space allowed.

We're just on the planning stages of our remodel (we'll be moving into an older house that needs a new kitchen) and I've thought a lot about this too. I think you just need to think of your needs. As buehl noted, if you have more than one sink in your kitchen (which many do) then this is pretty easy, you'll have more than one bowl regardless.

We have small children, and two bowls in a sink is a must. There is a constant stream of dirty dishes, dirty hands, muddy things- you name it, it's going through our sink. I also haven't really had any issue washing large things in my current double sink. So, for our needs, we're going double sink. If you don't have small children, or any need of separate sink spaces (your dirty dishes might make it directly into the dishwasher, ours sadly don't!), or you'd prefer to have one huge space, or you just really love the look of single bowl, then it's clearly for you. Personally, I love the look of a single bowl, so maybe someday way down the line, it will fit our kitchen needs, but right now, it's double all the way!

"With modern DW's all you need to do is scrape, so there's no reason to have dishes pile up in the sink other than the DW isn't emptied of the clean dishes yet."

I have one fo those "modern" dishwashers (a one year old LG). I *still* have to pre-clean the dishes.

Are you doing a second sink in the kitchen? If so, then my vote is for sure a single bowl sink. I love my Blanco silgranite one. It is huge: 30" long and deep. My island "prep" sink is also a Blance silgranite and it's about 23" long. I didn't see the point of doing a tiny sink when I could do a larger one.

If you are not doing two sinks, you can always get the single bowl, and keep a small basin in there for dirty dishes. Then it will be like having the best of both worlds: you'll have the big soaking sink when you need it for oversize cookware.
For our summer kitchen, we got the integrated double bowl sink - one large and one smaller. I don't like it nearly as much as the big single bowl sink.
Good luck on whatever you chose.

I only have one sink in my kitchen, a big deep single bowl. I have 3 young kids and yes, the sink fills up with dishes all day, but I was never a "fill the sink with soapy water" to wash kind of girl. I'm more of a "run the water while you wash" person. I only hand wash a few pots and pans and knives. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my big super single. No regrets whatsoever. I do have a basin I can put in the sink if I need to but I think I've only done that once or twice in the 14 months or so since I've been using this sink. I don't keep a drainer on the counter either. The few things that get handwashed are put on a towel on the counter to dry or they are dried immediately and put away. I understand some people have different washing styles and a double sink is great for them, but it sounds to me like you're leaning towards the big single and I think you'd really love it.

Oh, and I only have one dishwasher (aside from me), too. Works for us!

I had an elkay double with one being larger that old style double and other side about the same as old double. I now have a big single and I am in the minority, I miss having a clean sink always for washing fruits and veggies. The single is nice that it fits cookie sheets flat but I do a lot more veggies than I do cookies.

There are a few sinks that have a big and small bowl where the big bowl is large enough for pans. Whitehaus makes a fireclay 35 1/2 wide apron sink that has this configuration -- probably others do too. If you are willing to go really wide with the sink you may be able to get the best of single and double . . . .

I have a double sink and I love it. I think it depends on how you work. I almost always have a pile of dirty dishes in the left side. The disposal is on the right. I try to keep that empty. There are things that I hand wash. I can let them "pile" up on one side and keep the other empty. I think I would be annoyed to have dirty dishes sitting in the sink I was using. I also stick them there to keep them off the counter.

Now, if you wash things right away and don't pile stuff up, the single might be better for you. I am doing a new kitchen and plan a double Silgranit and a single large prep sink on my island. I wouldn't want the prep sink to have any dishes it b/c it is on the island.

Good luck. I would think about how you like to work.

i don't understand the argument for a double bowl and being able to stack dirty dishes. the only reason i would stack dirty dishes in a sink is if i didn't have a dishwasher. if i put anything in the sink, it's a temporary resting place for a couple of things i plan to hand wash, maybe a glass or two.
we had a double bowl in our old house and i really, REALLY didn't like it. it was impossible to soak a large skillet or roasting pan (things that actually NEED to fit inside a sink). i definitely think a large, single bowl is far more useful than two or more smaller bowls.

I agree with LiveWireOak -- use your dishwasher and get a large single bowl. I've had both and we are in the planning stage for a complete renovation. I am getting a Silgranite 33" single-bowl sink. We were visiting our son in Oregon in October and for the week I was using his new Silgranite sink daily. I loved it. It's the only thing in our renovation plans that is not negotiable!

Running the dishwasher every night is wasteful for us. A single day's dishes fills up maybe 1/3 of the dishwasher (and that's stretching it). Almost none of my pans and certainly none of my good knives go in so I'm hand washing anyhow.

So I've got essentially two options:
1) Let the dishes accumulate enough to run the dishwasher. This takes 3+ days. If I don't pre-wash, the dishes don't get clean.
2) Spend less time and resources and just hand-wash the dishes nightly.

Now, our new to us dishwasher has a top-rack only cycle. Using that I can do a load almost every day but not always. But regular plates don't fit on that rack so I have to wash anyhow.

Crabapplemcn: Imagine Buehl's smaller sink turned so the length is parallel to the wall, with a center drain and full grid. My Ticor #112 is 29" wide and 10" deep.

Another reason I love it is that I can fit the double-burner drip pans from my Wolf unsealed range-top flat on the grid for a good wash.

The grid protects the bottom of the sink from scratches and is so useful for draining purposes. It is wonderful that Ticor includes the grids with their sinks.

pbrisjar,
Something is wrong with your dishwasher. You should not need to pre rinse your dishes first. What type of detergent are you using? What cycle are you using on the dishwasher? I have a Miele and barely scrape. I have used Electrosal tabs without any problems. Do a search on the appliance forum because this issue has been discussed before. You paid for a new appliance and you should get what it is supposed to do out of it. Does you Dishwasher have an adjustable upper rack?

By the way, I love my single bowl. I can't wait to have my Rohl Allia installed. It is a large single drop in Fireclay sink. I had the same sink in a previous house. It fits all my roasting pans and dishes too. I wash certain pots and all my knives by hand. Everything else goes in the dishwasher. I have large cookie sheets and large roasting pans and they all fit in this sink without any problem. My sister has a double sink and hates it. She is replacing it after the holidays.

Good luck!

Dishwasher is an LG that we got second-hand. It's about a year old. I've used both the regular and the pot scrubber cycle. I also used the Electrasol tablets until we got our whole-house water conditioning system. Now I use the dishwasher soap that came with the system. Upper rack is only partially adjustable.

We didn't pay so we can't complain and Hubby (who in normal times is the dishwasher) is an old-school hand wash to conserve water person who has no intentions of changing.

Most modern DWs only use about 6-7 gallons of water for a whole cycle. That's far far less than any handwashing, and the total energy used is less than if you have a standard incandescent bulb burning for the same period. Handwashing is actually more energy inefficient than using a DW. Don't scrape, and use your DW daily and you'll still come out with cleaner, more sanitized dishes, with less energy use than hand washing.

Double-bowls here! I've never had trouble washing any kitchen item (including cookie sheets and roasters), with the single exception of oven racks. Those get cleaned in the back yard. Pots and pans are always washed by hand. I have a fair number of utensils that don't go in the dishwasher, mainly because I will need them again before the DW is loaded enough for a wash cycle (every two days for our family of four).

I love my new sinks! They are larger, heavier, and deeper than the 40yr old builder grade ones they replaced, although the fit over the same sized base cab.

Two dishwashers? TWO???? Are you kidding??? On what planet to you live????

We use 2-3 gallons max and about 15 minutes to wash dishes. Our dishwasher cycle is 2 hours (including the drying time).

Not scraping leaves an awful, disgusting, baked-on mess that then has to be hand-washed anyway.

Daily normal dish load (that would actually go in the dishwasher) for us would be: 2 plates, one coffee mug, two forks and knives, one spoon/spatula, maybe a couple of glasses, maybe 1 or 2 mid-sized plastic containers and maybe a bowl or two. Hubby only eats one sit-down meal a day and I only eat once a day at home.

out of the 3-5 kitchens that we install each week: most customers get the 60/40 sink: as you have shown: some people get the 50/50 (equal size on each side) and very few people get the single drain. (maybe 6 people this year).
It's your choice. What do you want? Also, should not leave dirty dishes in the sink: especially with an undermount sink filled to the top with water every night. I tell people that they have to change their habits when they get granite countertops: or natural stone countertops. Especially undermount sinks. (although, my boss has the sink you showed: and she has had it installed for 12 years with 5 people in the house and about 4 parties a year. She has never had a problem with her undermount sink)
Get what you are comfortable with.

That LG would stand for Long Gone in my world--scraping? baked on? Our Bosch uses 4 gallons per cycle and is super hot to kill germs. Hand washing could never use water hot enough or for long enough to kill the bacteria that a GOOD dw can. It sounds like with the few dishes you and spouse use per week you could run it one a week and be ahead of the game. I'm in agreement 100% with homepro1 and live wire oak. Cooksnews: I have only one but two dishwashers is fairly common (think large families or massive entertaining).

Cilantro undercounter kitchen sink- K-5879-5U one of my favorite sinks: $1000 Kohler cast iron

http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?from=thumb&frm=null&module=Kitchen+Sinks&item=309202&prod_num=5879-5U&section=1&category=5&resultPage=0--1033294244

http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?from=thumb&frm=null&module=Kitchen+Sinks&item=12466602&prod_num=3592&section=1&category=5&resultPage=0--1033294242

Prologue kitchen sink with work surface on right- K-3592 : ideal for serious cooks: keeps cutting to the sink area: not the countertops.

Cooksnews,
Several homes in my neighborhood have two Dishwasher. Many of my friends who are Jewish keep Kosher and need two Dishwashers and sinks in their homes. Also, Dishwasher Drawers allow some people to have the flexibility of two dishwasher compartments in the same machine.

Good luck!

I did two dishwashers in my kitchen. I do a lot of entertaining. It's great to have the second one for the overflow of glasses, plates and silverware.
I don't generally need two on a daily basis, but when you need that second dishwasher it's nice to have :)

I don't know a soul with 2 dishwashers (Jew or Gentile) but I know a lot of people without even one. Maybe it's because:

1)I don't know anyone with more than 3 children

2)I run in the wrong socio-economic circles

3)good old Canadian moderation (about both: reproduction and dishwashers)

To each his own, I bought a countertop one for my apartment because I hate doing dishes so 2 might be twice as good.

I have to agree with caryscott, I don't know anyone with 2 dishwashers, I don't even have one. As for the dishwasher using less water, I have my doubts. Everyone I know with a dishwasher keeps the water running while they rinse all their dishes as they load it even though they *know* they don't need to rinse. They say they can't help themselves! :)

So, you mean I'm the one living on another planet?

I don't know ANYONE who has more than one dishwasher in the same kitchen, although I know several families who have none. My 40yo neighbourhood is undergoing a lot of redevelopment/rebuilding, including a few houses listed for sale at $1million+, but only one DW per house. I have friends who live in much posher neighbourhoods who have completed much more spendy reno's than mine, but none considered more than one DW. DH's family is Jewish, and none of them have multiple DWs. Kitchens with space for more than one must represent a teeny tiny speck at the top end of the housing spectrum. It is way way way easier to fit a double bowl sink into "average" kitchens than it is to fit more than one dishwasher.

I'm a KD who has done several kitchens with 2 DWs. None of these kitchens were for upper end kitchens. In fact, I rarely get the chance to do a kitchen over 70K. Those folks just don't shop in my type of showroom. We're known as the "lower end" place around here. :) Most kitchens I've done average around 20K-30K, which is definately on the lower end of the national average and certainly on the lower end of most kitchens on this site. The convenience factor of two DWs can't be said enough. One can serve as a draining rack for hand washing items, and for everyday use, you don't even have to really empty the DW. You just have a "clean" and "dirty" DW and the dishes just recycle between the two. For someone who cooks a lot, or has a large family, having two (and using them) is a nice bit of luxury that is far more functional and less expensive than many other kitchen choices that add $$ to a renovation budget. If you find the idea foolish, then it's obviously not for your lifestyle. But, it really works for many many people. And, not just "upper crusts". :)

Something must be amiss with that LG. I have an old -- probably pushing 10 years -- Maytag (made by Whirlpool) portable; we rarely scrape, never rinse, and can't say the last time something came out less than sparkling. There aren't many options available for portables so I'm grateful this thing performs so well.

As for sinks, I only have a 68" counter run for a sink and went with a Kohler Urbanite, which is a 25x22 single bowl with a tiny raised bowl in the corner for the disposal. As you can guess from the counter run, this kitchen is tiny. I needed to maximize both counter space and storage in the sink cabinet, and getting the disposer up and out of the way was a help. We're pretty clumsy with large objects, though, and while it's still nice and glossy it does have more than a few chips. I'm getting ready to replace the counter and am debating whether to buy another Urbanite or go with a true single-bowl stainless. The Urbanite isn't available in stainless; if anyone's seen something similar that doesn't run $2,000 please speak up!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler Urbanite

I'm another one from another planet as I love my triple sink and can't imagine being without it.

Having the center section free for scraping food into the disposal is wonderful. And I do compost, but not with cooked food.

I've got a great dishwasher (only one!!) and don't have to prewash, but there are a lot of things that I don't put in there. Wooden spoons and scrapers, my bread machine pan, cast iron, stoneware and my big Le Creuset to name a few. I cook almost all from "scratch" and there are always several big bowls and pans that it would be silly to take up the entire DW with when 2 minutes at the sink could get them clean.

The inside dimensions of the large sides of my sink 18x14.5 and that is plenty big for washing almost everything I've got.

I guess we all love what we get used to, but if Elkay isn't making the triples when I redo my kitchen, I'll be searching ebay for a used one!!!

This issue is the reason I love my Franke with the integral shelf so much. It is a large single, but with a bottom grid, a wire shelf half way up and a ss drainer tray on top, I can pile things on the shelf half way up or on the tray and still wash items on the other side, keep everything off the bottom and easily wash stray pieces of food, etc. down the GD because of the bottom grid. When I want the extra room in the sink I remove the extra shelf and/or tray and have the space of a large single. LOVE IT!

Sue

Went from double to single and no regrets.

I do a lot of handwashing of all large items, plastics and wooden items. I tend to use our single sink like a double sink most of the time with a dishtub in it but I love being able to remove the tub when needed. It could also be a triple bowl sink with 2 tubs (or pots or bowls) on each side while leaving the drain area in the center free. If I just have a few items I want to soak in soapy water while cooking I'll put a small pot (instead of larger tub) in the corner of the sink with sudsy water and have the rest of the sink free for all other tasks. I feel as though a double sink allows no flexibility and the spacer between sinks takes up valuable space.

Wow, who knew this would be a controversial subject? I go back to what I said in my earlier post--get what works for you. Think about how you live. There is no right or wrong--just what you prefer. I do think it is interesting to read about other people's routines. Maybe one person's routine appeals to you or sounds like how you live and will help you decide.

I just put in the shaws 39" double bowl sink and love it. I usually wash large pots/pans on one side and have a drain on the other side where I set them after they are washed. Works for me.

Live Wire Oak - THANK YOU!!! I never thought about using the second dishwasher as a drying rack!! I have a big prep sink on my island and do a lot of washing pots and pans there. I was going to get a dishrack that I could just put away when I'm not using it, but what could be better than using that second dishwasher for those items! Thanks for posting. Sometimes just the simplest ideas are the best.

For those of you who don't pre-rinse dishes and have dishes come out sparkly, do you wash things like sports bottles or rubbermaid juice box containers or baby bottles?
I have to handwash these items after coming out of the dishwasher because the food left on dishes always ends up stuck inside of them. I'm not sure how well it sanitizes these tall items, either. And, before you ask, yes I do place them upside down in the top rack.

Who knew there were so many different dish washing habits! Im a double sinker as we do lots of handwashing (we don't put knives with wooden handles, pots n pans, etc into the DW) and I think the wash and rinse in the 2 may save water (but maybe Im deluded on that)
Having 2 DWs? Wow.

Dglmichelle,
I don't have any food stuck on my dishes after washing them. The come out sparkling clean. I wash bottles a lot because I refill my own bottle for water. They are Voss bottles and are fairly narrow, almost like a tall baby bottle but they are made of glass. The fit in the bottom rack of my dishwasher. How old is your dishwasher? Have you ever tried to run a dishwasher cleaning cycle with Dishwasher magic or a similar product?

Good luck!

When we updated our 1970's kitchen, we pulled out our double sink with one very large bowl and one small disposal bowl. We have a large Bates & Bates farm sink that we have lived with for 5 years.

I have only begun to appreciate my large single sink today. Why? Just last night we finally drilled out the plastic water reducer on my Grohe Ladylux. I finally have enough water pressure to make the food particles that end up in the corners go down the drain quickly instead of dealing with not enough water pressure to even move the food at point blank range. Maybe now it will be easier to keep clean.

If I had it to do over again, I'd still choose the farm sink - in my situation. I was keeping the same cabinets and wanted to get rid of the pull out drawer in front of the sink that kept ripping my clothes. Large sinks require more water pressure.

If I was building new, I'd go for a large/small sink set up like Buehl has. So much easier, IMO. We have plenty of water here (well) so we don't have to consider water usage, but other areas aren't so lucky. If you can't drill out that plastic water reducer, I'd definitely do the double.

Good Luck!
golddust

The soap you use in your DW can make a big difference also, esp. if you are in a house that does not have the same type of water as your previous house, ie hard vs soft. I have some DW tablets of one brand (cascade 3 in one) and left over boxed soap in the same brand. The tablets are terrible, leave stuff but the box still does fine. My mother uses a tablet in a diff brand (electrasol I think) that works great (she is 2 miles away and has the same type of water) but noted that my BIL also said they tried the cascade tablet I did and they were not happy. So even different choices within one brand name clean differently. Using a separate rinse agent can also help. We have hard water, and if you have softened water you may get different results. Your DW, how you load the DW, and how long the soiled dishes sit before being washed also makes a difference. Some people do more than one load a day and food doesn't really dry on, others only do a load every few days or less. I don't use the heated drying most of the time, but if you do, any stuck on food that doesn't come off the first time can get baked on. Also, if your DW has a filter that needs to be cleaned or just has a drain that is partially blocked and doesn't allow food particles to drain out with the dirty water, they could get redistributed on t he dishes. Anyway, if your DW isn't cleaning well, see if others who have the same dw notice the same thing, try a load with no large items to block the flow of water or impede the "arms" that distribute water, change dw detergents (consumer reports actually rates them) and get recommendations from those with the same type of water as you, try a rinse agent, and turn off heated drying until you get it figured out.

Sue

I think there are a lot of variables that impact the success of a dishwasher, no matter how pricey. Admittedly, we have great (Lake Michigan) water. I use Electrosol tabs that come in the big round can at Costco. They usually go on 'sale' with a Costco rebate a few times a year and I pick up at least two or three at that time; great price. Since I started using the tabs I never put anything in the prewash dispenser and I never detected a degradation in cleaning quality. Always keep my rinse agent full. Usually run a completely full load (I'm cheap with resources) probably an average of 4-5 times per week, so the dishes don't sit long dirty. Never have a problem with food on dishes, in my el cheapo Whirlpool portable.

One thing that does bother me is that we eat a lot of red sauce so of course plastic items and the interior get pretty well stained. I discovered a cleaner and ran through a load of old plastic and everything came out stain-free, including the dishwasher itself. So I do take some time to rinse off heavy red sauce now. I wish I could recall the brand of the cleaner; it came in a white tube with primary color writing and was sold near all the DW products.