PrairieSong Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We are remodeling our kitchen. Demo starts next week. We have selected cabinets, flooring, and counter tops but are looking at sinks. I am leaning toward a large single basin sink that I could easily fit cookie sheets and my larger pots in, but am wondering if I would regret a single basin sink for any reason. So, what do you have? Do you love it or hate it, and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a standard double-sink in this rental. My dream kitchen has one of those gigantic one basic farm sinks, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double if you are going to do much/any dish washing by hand----one for washing and the other side for rinsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Single. I would never go back to a double. While I recognize that reasonable minds may differ on a number of issues--religion, politics, language arts curricula, plastic versus paper, this is not one of them. Everyone with any sense and who has used a single basin sink prefers a single basin sink. ;) Don't let anyone talk you into one of those three-bowl monstrosities, either. That's the worst of both worlds. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I like having a double sink b/c we wash dishes by hand. I can fill one side up to soak some dishes, while I'm washing in the other sink. I also like it b/c if I'm making a meal that creates a lot of dishes, but I need to drain pasta, I can have the dirty dishes in one side, and can drain in the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Single or double is definately a hot topic! I was going to go with a single when we remodeled but changed my mind at the last minute. I was pictureing myself with water in the sink ( when you clean as you go cook) and then I had to dump a cup of coffee or drain the pasta or whatever and there was no sink to dump it in. I went with a Kohler smart sink. It is double, but the center divide is quite low. I can and have at times filled both sinks so I could soak a large pan. With the divider lower, you can wash large cookie sheets and what not much easier. Undermount is definately the only way to go. In a sense it gives you more counter space. No tippy plates sitting on the edge of the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have a double bowl where one is slightly smaller and the other larger and deeper and I love that. do NOT get silgranite from blanco. Mine cracked simply from the heat of draining spaghetti water. blanco used to have a warranty that covered cracking (so they paid to replace the sink - we had to pay the plumber), but heat cracks are now excluded from the warranty. it was also a pain in the rear to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalmia Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double! Too many times my people fill the sink with dishes to "soak" and there isn't any room to fill a glass with water or rinse veggies in a strainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I love my double sink. I often am doing two things at once: soaking a pan on one side and cleaning vegetables on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double! I currently am stuck with a single (we are renters) and it is a pain to wash dishes in. You can't wash and rinse in one sink! I end up having to find a big bowl to put the soapy water in to wash and attempt to rinse around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double! This is my future sink and I go visit it from time to time. We wash dishes by hand and I grew up with this type of sink. Wash in one side, drain in the other. If the dishes are put away, there is a dirty dishes side and an empty side. No more dishes cluttering the counter. Ahh . . . I was on the fence until I was staying in my mom's house alone and doing the dishes there by hand for the first time in years and she has a very similar huge double-bowl sink. It was so huge. I had no idea this was such a hot topic! I think whether or not you hand wash dishes is a pretty huge factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I went with a large single sink (farmhouse style) and I absolutely love it. No regrets. I had the usual double sink for years and was always so frustrated with it when doing hand washing of large items. And it works well as a bath for pets and babies :) This is pretty much what I have: http://www.vintagetub.com/asp/product_detail.asp?item_no=wh3018-white Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double. I like having a wash side and a rinse side. We got a new sink a couple of years ago and it was bigger than our old one (still a double sink.) It requires so much more water to fill that I feel like I am wasting water. If I had a large single sink, I would need so much more water to soak dishes. Plus, it is a pain to drain pasta, rinse out my tea strainer, fill a pot with water, etc. whenever I am washing dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double. How do you drain pasta, pour out tuna juice, etc, if the entire sink is filled with stuff? As I'm cleaning, the dirty dishes pile up in the sink not on the counter. If you're making pancakes, where do you put the scraper? You don't put it on the counter where the batter will harden. You have to put it in the sink. And not directly into a big soapy sink. You want to rinse it off before putting the gooey scraper in the water. Even if you don't have a sink full of soapy water, you still need room to drain/spill/rinse/wash hands, etc. With a double sink, you also have a place for dishes to dry. If you have enough space, you could put them in a drainer on a counter, but I don't think of that very often because I have very limited counter space. So, if there's not enough counter space, it's nice to let dishes dry down in the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Do you double sink people not have dishwashers? You know, for everything except the big stuff that does not fit into a dishwasher and, oh by the way, doesn't fit into your teeny little double sinks, either? Big dishes get washed in the sink. And filled with water themselves. I do not even have a plug for my big sink and am baffled by this double sink preference. Do you not know how many dishes one can hide in a big single sink? Bonus! Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Wow, so many different opinions! I was thinking of a Blanco silgranite sink but didn't know they could crack just by draining pasta! Will have to consider that. Most of our dishes go into the dishwasher, except for bigger pots and pans and a few, very few, items that are not dishwasher safe. I'm leaning toward a single basin but I do love reading all the various opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Do you double sink people not have dishwashers? You know, for everything except the big stuff that does not fit into a dishwasher and, oh by the way, doesn't fit into your teeny little double sinks, either? Big dishes get washed in the sink. And filled with water themselves. I do not even have a plug for my big sink and am baffled by this double sink preference. Do you not know how many dishes one can hide in a big single sink? Bonus! Terri No, we do not have a dishwasher. Everything gets washed by hand, including the big stuff. The only thing that doesn't fit in the sink well is our one cookie sheet (I still manage to clean it), but everything else fits just fine. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSong Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Do you double sink people not have dishwashers? You know, for everything except the big stuff that does not fit into a dishwasher and, oh by the way, doesn't fit into your teeny little double sinks, either? Big dishes get washed in the sink. And filled with water themselves. I do not even have a plug for my big sink and am baffled by this double sink preference. Do you not know how many dishes one can hide in a big single sink? Bonus! Terri Yes, this. Also, I was reading on the another forum that one person sometimes uses a small dishpan for any little items that must be hand washed. You would still have part of the sink available to rinse dishes or whatever. I would love love love it if my large pots and cookie sheets actually fit in my sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have lived in a lot of different houses with different types of sinks and my favorite was one that had a smaller side and a larger side. It was sort of like this, but I know they come in lots of materials, sizes and dimensions: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I wonder if family size dictates a bit what we might like? With 4 boys and a husband to feed, I often use really large pots and pans. Perhaps those with smaller family size don't use the same type of cookware...or may not use a dishwasher. There were days a few years ago when I would run 2 loads in the dishwasher as well as do pots/pans by hand. I typically cooked 3 meals a day back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Do you double sink people not have dishwashers? we can end up with more dirty dishes than a dishwasher will hold - and we run the dishwasher AT LEAST once a day. also, there are certain items that I will not, under any circumstances, put in a dishwasher becasue it would ruin them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Do you double sink people not have dishwashers? You know, for everything except the big stuff that does not fit into a dishwasher and, oh by the way, doesn't fit into your teeny little double sinks, either? Big dishes get washed in the sink. And filled with water themselves. I do not even have a plug for my big sink and am baffled by this double sink preference. Do you not know how many dishes one can hide in a big single sink? Bonus! Terri Much of my cookware does not go into the dishwasher. Stone ware, cast iron, have to be washed by hand and stuff like my milking things need to be soaked in bleach. Single large sink unless your double sinks can be large. I've had the double for years and I could never fit large pots or cookies sheets in them. Since I have a dishwasher I'm only washing pots and pans. My double is pretty large. I think a huge deal though is the faucet that you choose. I have a tall gooseneck faucet and between the big double sink and the gooseneck, I can easily fit a 5 gallon bucket underneath it. I do it all the time. Having the tall faucet makes cleaning the big pots and cookie sheets quite simple. So OP consider your faucet too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I prefer double. I don't think I'd care one way or the other if I had a dishwasher. Double is much more convenient for me when hand washing, although I've hand washed many dishes in a single sink. All I really care about is having a sink. We lived in a house without plumbing in the kitchen and I missed the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 No, we do not have a dishwasher. Everything gets washed by hand, including the big stuff. The only thing that doesn't fit in the sink well is our one cookie sheet (I still manage to clean it), but everything else fits just fine. *shrug* Just want to make sure everyone realizes I am not serious when I say reasonable minds cannot differ on this topic (I gather from the shrug that that's not quite clear), but I do think this is an excellent point--whether you have a dishwasher or not makes a huge difference as to how you use the sink. My sink is not piled high with dishes--my dishwasher is, to overflowing, but not the sink. My beloved single-bowl sink is used 90% of the time for washing pots and pans and those awful 9x13" glass casserole dishes. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a double, but one side is huge (I can fit big pans easily) and the other quite narrow and shallow. Kind of like the one in Mrs. Mungo's picture but with a greater size discrepancy. I love it beyond all reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double, I like to keep dirty dishes on one side and have the other side (with the garbage disposal) empty for meal prep/cleanup. I hate having veggie peelings for instance all over my dishes, I just want them to be able to go straight down the drain/disposal. As far as a dishwasher, yes I have one and it's used A LOT. I run at least 3 loads a day (because I cook almost everything from scratch and I hate hand washing of dishes, plus we have a large family and a single meal generates close to a load of dishes. Everything I own goes in the dishwasher), so frequently the dishwasher is already busy when I'm meal prepping so the new dirty dishes have to accumulate in the sink until the dishwasher is down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachskittles Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 When I design my kitchen (whenever we might get our own house), I am going to have both. It sounds good in my head so I am running with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Just want to make sure everyone realizes I am not serious when I say reasonable minds cannot differ on this topic (I gather from the shrug that that's not quite clear), but I do think this is an excellent point--whether you have a dishwasher or not makes a huge difference as to how you use the sink. My sink is not piled high with dishes--my dishwasher is, to overflowing, but not the sink. My beloved single-bowl sink is used 90% of the time for washing pots and pans and those awful 9x13" glass casserole dishes. Terri The shrug was b/c my double sink is not teeny and it fits all of my dishes (with the exception of my one cookie sheet), so it isn't a big deal. Our sink is not piled high with dishes either, we keep up on them fairly well...we all wash as they are used...but it is still nice to be able to have dishes soaking on one side and still be able to rinse vegetables or drain pasta. If I'm busy cooking a big meal, I'd rather not take up counter space with dirty dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a huge, deep double sink and when we remodel our kitchen, I will get another huge, deep double sink. I'm often doing 2 things at once. We do have a dishwasher, but I wash big soup pots and pans, cutting boards, etc by hand without issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialClassical Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double sided sinks are so handy for many reasons mentioned above. I do too many things at once to have just one basin. My dishwasher isn't the best and I am picky about what goes in it. My daughter will stuff it with all manner of things, but they don't necessarily get clean. I suppose it is a pain to have a double sided sink for big items, but I don't mind washing half and then flipping it to wash the other half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a double basin and I prefer it. We've rented houses on vacation that have the large single and I hated it. Of course, I'm one of those who likes to keep the dirty dishes on one side til get around to cleaning them. It just makes washing and rinsing dishes so much more difficult because you are have to wash and rinse one thing at a time because you can't fill up the sink with water and soak dishes, then rinse because the water is dirty and the sink is already full of water. My sil has the large sink with a small side one rather than a regular double and that's just as bad. I'd go with a double. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a double basin sink. I don't love or hate it. It's a pretty standard model so there's not an excessive amount of space. At times it would be nice if each basin was twice its size, but I don't feel like it's necessary on a daily basis. I don't think I would ever want just a single basin though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have both and we prefer the double. We handwash and it is convenient to soak the pot in one basin and wash the dirty dishes and utensils in the other. Our double basin has two large sides so we did not have any problem fitting a big pot in. MIL has a single basin and uses a dish pan to soak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I've had the single sink and no dishwasher. It was hideous. Even with a dishwasher I think I want a deep double sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I've had a large single basin for 7 years now and still love it. I would never go back to a double. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have lived in a lot of different houses with different types of sinks and my favorite was one that had a smaller side and a larger side. It was sort of like this, but I know they come in lots of materials, sizes and dimensions: This is the sink I have. It works well. The larger side is deeper as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 We have a standard double-sink in this rental. My dream kitchen has one of those gigantic one basic farm sinks, though. Same here. Our double sink is so small here. I can't fit any pots of substantial size into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 The only thing I don't like about my kitchen is the single sink. We try to create a faux double sink experience by using a dishpan, but I would much prefer to have a wash side and a rinse side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double. Double. Double. Double. Double. Hate the single basin in this rental. We wash by hand so I guess that makes a difference, but even if we didn't I'd choose double. If someone stacks dirty dishes in it and I need to drain the pasta I've got to move it all. Or I'd love to be able to let something soak in one side while using the other. Our single basin is small, but even if it was huge I'd want a double. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have lived in a lot of different houses with different types of sinks and my favorite was one that had a smaller side and a larger side. It was sort of like this, but I know they come in lots of materials, sizes and dimensions: This is very much like my sink. The one side is big and deep (probably as large as many single sinks, and also probably deeper - I love how deep it is!); the other side is shallower and just big enough to put a dish drying rack in, and I dry pots, good knives, and anything else that needs handwashing or doesn't fit well in the dishwasher in there. For those of you who prefer single sinks, where do you dry? I do not want to use up counter space with a dish rack, nor do I want to hand-dry everything right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I love my single basin! It's 31" x 18" and 12" deep. I can pretty much fit a dinner party's worth of dishes in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have a question and I am not being snarky, I just really want to know. For those of you who only have one sink what do you do on say Thanksgiving day when you are in continuous cook and clean up mode. Seriously, sometimes that one knife gets washed 5 times before we serve the big meal? I had thought that one sink would be awesome to soak that big ol roaster and those enormous cookies sheets, but I was picture having to have a dish pan sitting around for those big cooking days. I prefer to clean as you go when I am cooking, meaning I have one sink full of water to wash counter,s knives, throw the innerds from the food processor to get the first layer of junk off..you know what i mean. If you have one sink do you just never wash anything in the sink? It all goes directly to the dishwasher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I have a question and I am not being snarky, I just really want to know. For those of you who only have one sink what do you do on say Thanksgiving day when you are in continuous cook and clean up mode. Seriously, sometimes that one knife gets washed 5 times before we serve the big meal? I had thought that one sink would be awesome to soak that big ol roaster and those enormous cookies sheets, but I was picture having to have a dish pan sitting around for those big cooking days. I prefer to clean as you go when I am cooking, meaning I have one sink full of water to wash counter,s knives, throw the innerds from the food processor to get the first layer of junk off..you know what i mean. If you have one sink do you just never wash anything in the sink? It all goes directly to the dishwasher? I never *fill* the sink. We wash each individual piece and either dry it or place it on a drying mat on the countertop next to the sink. I don't like to wash lots of stuff in one sink full of soapy water - I prefer the clean water rinse, individual wash, then hot rinse off, and then dry. This process uses more water, I'm sure, but I feel better about it. Just one of those weird quirks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I never *fill* the sink. We wash each individual piece and either dry it or place it on a drying mat on the countertop next to the sink. I don't like to wash lots of stuff in one sink full of soapy water - I prefer the clean water rinse, individual wash, then hot rinse off, and then dry. This process uses more water, I'm sure, but I feel better about it. Just one of those weird quirks :) Me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 I never *fill* the sink. We wash each individual piece and either dry it or place it on a drying mat on the countertop next to the sink. I don't like to wash lots of stuff in one sink full of soapy water - I prefer the clean water rinse, individual wash, then hot rinse off, and then dry. This process uses more water, I'm sure, but I feel better about it. Just one of those weird quirks :) This is the way I wash too, but I dry the dishes in the other half of the sink. I would hate to take up counter space with a drying mat. Also, this way I don't have to worry about anything falling/sliding off the clean drying pile like I would if it were on the counter. And the water drains right into the drain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double sink. I don't need huge sinks because I never fill the standard sized sink I have. I'd feel like a criminal! (Here in the land of water restrictions...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double. Garbage disposal on the side farthest from the dishwasher so you can scrape the yuk into a clear sink and then stack in the sink nearest the dishwasher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Double! Of course, not having a dishwaher (other than the ones I gave birth to) probably colors that. All of our rentals have doubles. I have to wash the HUGE chicken butchering pot in the back porch anyway--no one's kitchen sink is that big! It quite nicely holds a full-grown Golden Retriever or the ocassional cold baby lamb. Not that you're butchering a Golden Retriever!!!!!!!!! :smilielol5: At least, we hope not! :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I have (and prefer) a large single basin sink, with a dishpan that I can set on the counter next to the sink if need be. I use large cast iron skillets and griddles (my big skillet is a 15" plus a handle) and cutting boards and really need the ability to get them fully down in the water. My MIL has the standard double basin, and that just would not work for me at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Yes, this. Also, I was reading on the another forum that one person sometimes uses a small dishpan for any little items that must be hand washed. You would still have part of the sink available to rinse dishes or whatever. I would love love love it if my large pots and cookie sheets actually fit in my sink. This. This is what I came on to say.....if you need to hand wash while cooking just keep a dish pan under your sink for that purpose. I can't wait to get a big single sink! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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