My weird new sink

[poppy]

We recently moved.   Our new kitchen sink has one big basin and next to it, a smaller and shallower basin.  Maybe 1/3 the size and depth of the bigger basin.

What is the purpose of the little sink? I am wracking my brain, and I don't even know how to google  for this answer.

[ktgrok]

So you have a sink to use if you have dirty dishes soaking in the big sink. 

[Miss Tick]

Does the smaller one have a disposal? My parents' sink sounds like yours and while doing dishes they can clean of additional table scraps into there. Maybe you can find a strainer to fit over the little, mini sink.

[nd293]

I usually use the little one for washing vegetables. Ours is the Ikea type and it has a draining basket that fits into the narrow, shallow sink, so we also keep the sponges and cloths there, and put odd items that have been rinsed there to drain. And it also gives somewhere to run water if the 'proper' sink is in use.

[Anacharsis]

After the dishwasher became dominant in households (When did this happen, exactly?), traditional double-sink makers suffered a crisis -- since many customers weren't using their sinks primarily to hand-wash dishes anymore, they were starting to switch to single-basin sinks.

 

So manufacturers started experimenting with the uneven double sink ratios (60/40, 70/30, etc.), to try to find one that might be more useful for folks who don't hand-wash large quantities of dishes.

​

​I think (but am not certain), that the tiny bowl-with-garbage-disposal in a 70/30 sink is designed for spray-scraping dishes before putting them into a dishwasher that doesn't handle heavily soiled dishes well. So instead of being designed as a wash sink and a rinse sink like in a traditional 50/50 double bowl, it's more a multi-purpose sink and a pre-wash scrape sink.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Anacharsis

[gardenmom5]

is the garbage disposal attached to the smaller sink?

 

I had a 1/4 vs 3/4 combo - and I loved it.  except, it was silgranite and I had a heat crack from draining spaghetti water.   fortunately, when I got it they were still giving an unlimited lifetime warranty.  (they don't anymore - that's why.  heat cracks) I did really like the 3/4 side for soaking.

 

I now have a 2/3 vs 1/3 combo.   I do have my garbage disposal on the smaller side.  it's fine for scraping/rinsing stuff or filing containers.  I can soak large items in the bigger one.  2/3 is better for soaking than the typical 1/2.

Edited August 8, 2016 by gardenmom5

[poppy]

This is interesting!

No disposal. And the water power stinks because it's a well (my first well water)! I think that's why the water pressure is so lousy.

 

I have so far using the itty bitty sink to hold knives I plan to hand wash.

[Katy]

is the garbage disposal attached to the smaller sink?

 

I had a 1/4 vs 3/4 combo - and I loved it.  except, it was silgranite and I had a heat crack from draining spaghetti water.   fortunately, when I got it they were still giving an unlimited lifetime warranty.  (they don't anymore - that's why.  heat cracks) I did really like the 3/4 side for soaking.

 

I now have a 2/3 vs 1/3 combo.   I do have my garbage disposal on the smaller side.  it's fine for scraping/rinsing stuff or filing containers.  I can soak large items in the bigger one.  2/3 is better for soaking than the typical 1/2.

 

Thank you for sharing that!  I'm in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel and a sales clerk was trying to sell me on one of those.  She said she had one and loved it.  I was leaning towards enameled cast iron until she said that. We have pasta at least twice a week.  You just saved me a nightmare.

[gardenmom5]

This is interesting!

No disposal. And the water power stinks because it's a well (my first well water)! I think that's why the water pressure is so lousy.

 

I have so far using the itty bitty sink to hold knives I plan to hand wash.

 

you might want to check the pump - or even the pipes in your house (if they're older, there could be gunk slowing down water flow).  my sil, and an irl friend both had wells - water pressure was NOT an issue.

[gardenmom5]

Thank you for sharing that!  I'm in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel and a sales clerk was trying to sell me on one of those.  She said she had one and loved it.  I was leaning towards enameled cast iron until she said that. We have pasta at least twice a week.  You just saved me a nightmare.

 

I had white, which was also somewhat of a pain to clean.  I'd fill it with hot water and add some bleach. ;/. 

 

I do wonder if I had run cold water while draining the spaghetti water if it would have been ok.

[Katy]

I had white, which was also somewhat of a pain to clean.  I'd fill it with hot water and add some bleach. ;/. 

 

I do wonder if I had run cold water while draining the spaghetti water if it would have been ok.

 

It doesn't matter to me.  I don't want to worry that much about a sink.  Especially when both stainless steel and cast iron don't have that problem.

[LifeLovePassion]

Check the pressure in the pressure tank with a tire gauge

[Laura Corin]

Those are pretty common here (small kitchens).  When I had one, I used it to put a colander in to drain veg/pasta, to wash my hands into, to pour out the dregs of coffee mugs before putting them in the dishwasher, and for the water to run into for rinsing as I washed dishes in the other sink.

 

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S29171138/

[Seasider]

I believe those smaller sinks are typically called prep sinks. They're not really meant for dishwashing, they're just an alternate source of water and a clean basin to use for food preparation away from dirty areas (i.e., your larger sink).

 

I have referred to them as "husband" sinks, because, look! There's a place for a friend to work with me in the kitchen!

[Bluegoat]

People here don't often have garbage disposals, but they tend to use the sinks in a similar way for food prep.  Though personally I prefer a prep sink in my prep area.