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Kitchen sink--single basin or double?


PrairieSong
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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.

......

If you have one sink do you just never wash anything in the sink? It all goes directly to the dishwasher?

 

Our currrent home has one sink. We use disposables plates and utensils when we have guests. We just leave the dirty pots and serving dishes on the countertop until after the guests leave than hand wash.

 

We don't use our dishwasher. We just hand wash in the sink. So I would wash the dirty dishes first and leave pots on the stovetop until the dishes are done.

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When I moved into this house I found out that no dishwasher and a single sink is a Huge Pain in the Patootie. Oh my goodness it was a pain. I had no choice but to insist my husband instal a dishwasher. Now that I have a very nice dishwasher I am fine with a single sink.

 

Now I want one of those big tall faucets to make up for the fact that my sink isn't very deep.

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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:

Manhattan+Double+Bowl+and+Small+Side+Rectangular+Undermount+Kitchen+Sink.jpg

 

This is our sink except the sides are reversed. Love it. I can lay cookie sheets flat in the bottom and my gigantic,huge, stock pot is soaking in it right now. I agree with getting a faucet that gives plenty of clearance, ours is sort of like the industrial ones and I can fit anything under that thing.

 

Hope this all makes sense, my baby is moaning so loudly on my lap I can hardly think straight!

 

Wanted to add that I dry my dishes in the small side if I'm washing by hand, I love not cluttering up the counter with drying dishes or a drainer

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SIngle (large!), stainless steel, under-counter mount. It's what we have and I love it. Oh, and we have the grate in the bottom so things don't sit directing on the sink bottom, allowing things to flow under dirty dishes/pots.

 

We wash a fair amount by hand (anything plastic or wooden, plus most all our pots/pans) and run the dishwasher daily. I never fill the sink with water (except the one time ds11 and ds9 took a bath in there when they were much, much smaller ;) ). I usually will "wash" a big pot from whatever meal we just ate and then put all the hand-washable things in it with hot soapy water. (We're talking dd's utensils, sippy cups, wooden spoons, etc. for the most part.) I love our sink and wouldn't ever want to have a double sink again.

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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.

 

I have a double sink right now, and I don't think I've ever filled one sink to soak anything other than the silverplate, which cannot go into the dishwasher, and I put that in the sink after everything else is washed/put in the dishwasher.

 

I will probably get a large single sink when we remodel. There's plenty of room to put a container of some kind in there to wash veggies and whatnot and still have room to use the other side for on-going washing/rinsing/all that stuff. What I want, though, is one where the drain is on one side and not in the middle. I'm sure I saw one like that...somewhere...

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We remodeled our kitchen a year ago and we bought a single basin composite granite sink and I love it. It is big enough to clean cookie sheets, my Dutch Oven and my biggest soup pot.

 

I also love the composite granite as it doesn't chip or scratch but I clean with dish soap and a Mr. Clean weekly and then oil it bi-weekly with olive oil to keep it shiny so it does require a bit of maintenance.

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This.

 

I have a double sink right now, and I don't think I've ever filled one sink to soak anything other than the silverplate, which cannot go into the dishwasher, and I put that in the sink after everything else is washed/put in the dishwasher.

 

I will probably get a large single sink when we remodel. There's plenty of room to put a container of some kind in there to wash veggies and whatnot and still have room to use the other side for on-going washing/rinsing/all that stuff. What I want, though, is one where the drain is on one side and not in the middle. I'm sure I saw one like that...somewhere...

 

 

Yes, they make single basin sinks with an offset drain. I've been looking at sinks for days and saw plenty of this kind.

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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.

 

 

I have a Silgranit sink that I adore! I've not had any heat issues and it cleans beautifully with Soft Scrub with Bleach. (It's white.)

 

My only regret in my kitchen re-do is that I got a double sink instead of a single. I don't wash much by hand. I really...really...would like to be able to get those big pans all the way in the sink.

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I'd only want a double sink if one side could be as big as a single. I have some huge pots and pans and smaller stuff goes in the dishwasher.

 

Also, you don't have to choose between stacking dishes in the sink and using it. I can stack the plates on one side and still use the faucet or drain. The dishes risk getting splashed with the odd coffee ground, but they're dirty dishes anyway.

 

I have a colander that is held up by the edges of the sink. I can have a full set of dishes in the sink and still be able to clean veggies or drain pasta water.

 

Also if I really do want two sinks, I keep a plastic dish basin under the sink. It fits in half my sink if I need to hand wash stemware or soak stuff on a big baking day. I don't really use it more than once a month. The bonus is the plastic is a safer surface for delicate glassware.

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For those of you who say you want single to fit in big stuff - I can fit all the big stuff in my double. If you're going to buy new, you don't have to put up with the contractor model double sink with equal, small basins. Go for the one with one side big and one side to fit a drainer. It doesn't have to be single/big or double/small. You can have double/big!

 

I can fit my oversize Dutch oven, my huge iron skillet and its handle, cookie sheets, pizza stone, and 12-qt. pot on the large side of my double sink, laying flat. And more than one of those at once!

 

And my drain is offset from the center. That is good. And the tall faucet, that is also good.

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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.

 

 

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!

 

 

The tall faucet is essential. This house is the first one I've had, and I can't go back. I'm a double sink person too. One side for dishes either waiting for the dishwasher or waiting to be handwashed. I do not want all of that stuff sitting on the counter (except for glasses). The other side for active use (cooking, drinks, rinsing, whatever).

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For those of you who say you want single to fit in big stuff - I can fit all the big stuff in my double. If you're going to buy new, you don't have to put up with the contractor model double sink with equal, small basins. Go for the one with one side big and one side to fit a drainer. It doesn't have to be single/big or double/small. You can have double/big!

I can fit my oversize Dutch oven, my huge iron skillet and its handle, cookie sheets, pizza stone, and 12-qt. pot on the large side of my double sink, laying flat. And more than one of those at once!

And my drain is offset from the center. That is good. And the tall faucet, that is also good.

 

It doesn't sound like you have double/big. It sounds like you have a single sink with half of a double attached to it. If you're rebuilding that WOULD be an awesome sink. However, if your stuck with normal sink dimensions, you do have to make that choice.

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It doesn't sound like you have double/big. It sounds like you have a single sink with half of a double attached to it. If you're rebuilding that WOULD be an awesome sink. However, if your stuck with normal sink dimensions, you do have to make that choice.

 

 

I did remodel the kitchen myself. :tongue_smilie: But I just measured - it's a fairly standard 36" wide with both basins. Having the big side deep and the tall faucet helps a lot with capacity.

 

Another thing to make sure of if you have big/small if you want it to dry dishes is that a non-custom dish drainer fits in there. I looked at a bunch where the right side was just small enough that I'd have to buy the $$$$ custom drainer the sink company sold. :glare:

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I did remodel the kitchen myself. :tongue_smilie: But I just measured - it's a fairly standard 36" wide with both basins. Having the big side deep and the tall faucet helps a lot with capacity.

Another thing to make sure of if you have big/small if you want it to dry dishes is that a non-custom dish drainer fits in there. I looked at a bunch where the right side was just small enough that I'd have to buy the $$$$ custom drainer the sink company sold. :glare:

 

 

If 36" is standard, it's a new standard because I'd guess my sink width is closer to 24". My house is 40 years old though. I'd LOVE to have another foot of sink space.

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If 36" is standard, it's a new standard because I'd guess my sink width is closer to 24". My house is 40 years old though. I'd LOVE to have another foot of sink space.

 

 

OP is demolishing her kitchen and putting in new cabinets - that's what I did too - my house is even older, from 1880 :). Get a 36" sink base! That is one thing you will never regret!

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we have a single large 14'' deep stainless steel. think of a trough. the farm house porcelin ones are nice, but they get scratched/nicked/stained.

I love the large sink, it is so large that I can easily wash the refridgerator shelves in it. So.so.wonderful!!

 

 

:drool5:

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I think this might be the first time Mrs. Mungo has posted something that didn't turn me into a cheerleader for her. :eek: I had one of those for the first 6 years of my marriage and hated it. If we hadn't planned to sell the house, I would have changed out that sink.

 

 

I've had the three types mentioned here: large farmhouse, sink and a half, and double. I will never again have anything other than a double if I can help it.

 

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: Manhattan+Double+Bowl+and+Small+Side+Rectangular+Undermount+Kitchen+Sink.jpg
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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?

 

I like two standard sized sinks. I don't like one big sink because you can't put the washed dishes anywhere but on the counter to dry. Also, the garbage disposal will be unable to be used if you have any dishes in the big sink.

 

My dream is a three=bee. A separate garbage disposal in the middle and two sinks, one on each side.

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I have what Mrs. Mungo posted. It's the best of all worlds, except maybe that sink someone posted with a lower profile center divider. I thaw things all the time in my smaller sink and use the big one for sink duties while food is thawing. If I have to clean something huge that doesn't fit in the larger sink, I do it in the laundry sink. The other convenience I don't think I'll ever be able to live without is my kitchen faucet that is a pull-out hose faucet. I'll never have anything else again if I can help it.

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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.

 

 

 

 

Yes to the above. The Smart Sink is de-vine. I pulled out a perfectly good sink in my new house to put one in. So much less splash and mess if you can put a bigger pan lower down, but not ALLLLLLLL the way down so you have to hunch over.

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OP is demolishing her kitchen and putting in new cabinets - that's what I did too - my house is even older, from 1880 :). Get a 36" sink base! That is one thing you will never regret!

we have a single large 14'' deep stainless steel. think of a trough. the farm house porcelin ones are nice, but they get scratched/nicked/stained.

I love the large sink, it is so large that I can easily wash the refridgerator shelves in it. So.so.wonderful!!

Yes to the above. The Smart Sink is de-vine. I pulled out a perfectly good sink in my new house to put one in. So much less splash and mess if you can put a bigger pan lower down, but not ALLLLLLLL the way down so you have to hunch over.

 

I am now bitter and dissatisfied. 😡

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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:

Manhattan+Double+Bowl+and+Small+Side+Rectangular+Undermount+Kitchen+Sink.jpg

This more or less what I have and the big side is quite deep. I had a single sink in the previous house and hated it. This is the best of both worlds.

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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.

 

 

Yup - lots of pasta here, too, and easy to pile up soaking pots/pans on one side while having the other side empty save for the pasta strainer. Sometimes I need one side too to fill with cold packs and cold water to set my stock pot in- Alton Brown taught me how to cool down soup etc. super fast this way! The garbage disposal is on the side in which I strain that pasta, wash veggies, and wash the pots and pans that have been soaking in the other sink.

 

And, yes, we have a dishwasher. It runs once a day - full of plates, cups, mugs, silverware. I simply do not have room in it to also put in pots and pans.

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