100% of the time for prepping food -- that really is 3 meals a day at our house. We eat out only once or twice per week.

I have a prep sink (not on the island). With 4 feet of counter space between the prep sink and the range. The coffee maker is on the other side of the sink.

Our large single bowl farm sink is for clean up. No one preps food there because the prep sink is in the right place.

When I met my DH, his kitchen had a prep sink that was so far from the range, it wasn't useful at all. So, you've got to put one in the real "prep zone" for it to be useful.

Cameron

We use ours a lot...it's on the island across from the main sink, with 5' between, so 2 people can be cooking at once.

I clean cookware and pans in the large main sink, but tend to prepare food next to the small prep sink. And it's easier to fill small saucepans from the prep faucet than the big main one.

We also have an open kitchen in a great room, with the Frank Pro and prep sinks. Since everything is exposed to the dining and living areas, the pro sink is useful for hiding dirty dishes and pots, so it can get full. It's nice to have a small clean sink for food prep.

Wonbyherwits stole the words right out of my mouth!

We only use the main sink for dirty dishes. Every other use of a sink from pot filling/draining to veggie rinsing occurs at the prep sink. On a typical weeknight, I'm making dinner while DH unloads the DW and starts collecting things that I've already finished dirtying. Keeps the sink from piling up dishes.

Alku05 -- my DH does the same! While I'm cooking, he gets out and puts away ingredients for me. He also collects the dirty kitchen tools and cleans those up while I cook. DH says he's the sous chef! Our grown sons do the same when they are here.

We use our prep sink everyday. Wouldn't want a kitchen now without one.

We have a prep sink on our island that I mainly use to fill my tea kettle because the angle on the faucet is perfect. I could actually do without it, to tell you the truth. My dh and I both love to cook, we often cook together, and we have three kids. We have a big kitchen, big island, big main sink. I use the main sink for everything. I think the problem is that the fridge and cooktop are at opposite ends of the island, and we put the prep sink by the fridge rather than the cooktop. My rationale at the time was that the kids could wash their hands there, or wash a piece of fruit from the fridge without getting in the way. But in reality, they wash their hands in the bathroom, and they would eat fruit covered in mud if I'd let them! If we had put the prep sink by the cooktop, I bet I'd use it more.

Also, our island (where the prep sink is) is maple, and I'm nervous to get it wet. The finish is oiled, rather than poly, for food safety, but I never let anything touch it. It's beautiful, but it might have been a mistake.

We use ours many times a day -- as often as the main sink, some days more. Our cooktop and baking area are on the other side of the island from the main sink, so having a prep sink is really essential to cooking in our kitchen. We can have cooks on either side of the island, and we each have our own sink to work with. I've wanted one for many years, never had one until this remodel, and I use it even more than I thought I would.

I use it, but I always forget its there, still getting used to it! The kitchen is not that big and both of my sinks are equidistant to the cooktop. But the prep sink on the island makes it possible to me to be facing my kids and not a window when prepping dinner. Now if I can just remember its there when I'm filling my coffee pot in the morning.

We use our prep sink a lot since it is the most convenient sink for most of the activities a sink is needed--hand washing, drinking water getting, vegetable washing, dish scraping (it's next to the dw.) Our main sink is close to the range and is used for more hot water activities--filling pots and kettles, colander draining, washing cooking pots and pans (and also hand washing and veggie prepping.)

Our sinks are on opposite sides of the kitchen so water is easily accessible from everywhere.

But I knew the prep sink would greatly improve the function of our kitchen before our remodel. I dreamed about the second sink even though I had never used a kitchen with one. We had constant bottlenecks at our old sink (which really cut down on the efficiency.) It was difficult to take advantage of DH's willingness to help when we couldn't both use the sink at the same time. If this doesn't happen in your kitchen, maybe a second sink isn't needed.

Our prep sink is next to our baking area. Dd can prepare something for baking while I'm cooking and we rarely cross paths.

I think it goes to your layout, as well as how many cooks are in your house.

My prep/cooking area will be completely separate from the cleaning zone. Two sinks essential to avoid very long hikes...

I have to decide this week where to put the prep sink. My kitchen is a double galley with an island in the middle. The fridge and stove are directly opposite each other with the island in-between. The main sink is between the 2 at the end of the kitchen. I've been driving myself crazy trying to decide whether the prep sink should go on the fridge side or the stove side! Please help me with your rationales for either one!

Can you post a drawing--even a rough one--of your layout? It's difficult to visualize from your description. In general, though, the prep sink closer to the stove makes more sense in most settings. I know it does in my kitchen. It depends so much on the rest of the layout and how you intend to use your kitchen.

We designed our kitchen to utilize a prep sink. I wanted to be able to prep and be a part of the kitchen conversation without facing a wall.

However, we 'lived' in a kitchen this summer which had been well designed with one large sink. Although it faced the wall, I could turn and prep on the island, which had an eating bar. I did not miss a prep sink in that kitchen- not a bit.

I have two sinks now even though my kitchen is very dated. The second one in the island is by the stove. It is actually a large single bowl sink and I love it. Washing veges is only a fraction of what I use it for. I drain pasta in, toss dirty pots and utensils while I cook and wash my hands as needed while I cook and bake.

I've read so much about how it should be by the fridge, but mine is going by the stove again when we remodel. I will also use a the larger single bowl rather than the smaller style prep sinks. I know I'll miss the size if I go smaller.

HTH

I cook dinner almost every night. We eat a lot of vegetables and fruits that need peeling or slicing or whatever. The Prep sink is on the island and that's where I stand while getting dinner ready. The clean up sink is on the perimeter of the kitchen. I put it there, and made it really deep, so that I could stack tons of dishes in there and you wouldn't see them. Also, I can tower all my pots and pans in there. Our layout is an open concept F/R kitchen and I knew I wanted to get that main sink out of the focal area so you didn't have to look at the mess I make while cooking, but the prep sink gives me a clean sink for draining pasta and setting the colander in so I can rinse produce.

I've never had one before, but wouldn't be without one in a kitchen like ours in terms of layout (we've also never had a kitchen with this layout before -- can't imagine where I'd have put a prep sink in my last kitchen) ... and we splurged (REALLY splurged) on the Franke Beach sink, which is the best money we spent on anything. The Beach is large enough for serious (and multiple) prep jobs (so I can drain a pot of pasta in the strainer insert at the same time as I'm blanching a large batch of veggies or rinsing a huge head of romaine).

It's absolutely the smartest thing we did in this kitchen and worth its weight in gold ... but having said that, I would say the question of whether a prep sink makes sense or not for YOU depends on how you cook, and what your layout looks like. If it's just a step or two to your sink from the cooking/prepping area, then there would be no need, in my mind, for two sinks (though I do like the fact that I can "dedicate" the prep sink to food prep -- we do no more than rinse utensils in it, no washup), so I know I can drop a basket of berries into the strainer any time without having to wash it thoroughly because I washed a greasy pot there the night before...)

Here is a link that might be useful: Franke Beach prep sink

I cannot figure out how to post the image here, but I did find an old picture of the kitchen before renovation that would show placement of the sinks, frdige and stove. Would appreciate your comments on prep sink placement. I've never had one before and am not sure how I will use this vs. the large sink. The link below is to the gallery section.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen gallery - prep sink

I hate to be the one against the norm, but I have decided against a prep sink in my new kitchen. I just can't imagine having one. To me it just seems like another sink to clean and take care of. I rarely have help in the kitchen and just deemed it something I never wanted. I will have a large island and I also didn't want to "break up" the counter with a hole for a sink. I love setting up large buffets for entertainment and feel the sink gets in the way. When I watch my neighbor use her island prep sink it seems like she is confused as to where to go and what she is using. Perhaps it is because she doesn't have a garbage disposal in the prep sink, so I watch her clean veggies and fruit etc in the prep sink, scoop scraps up, and use the disposal in the main sink. That would make me crazy. Also, hers always has water spots and looks messy right in the center of a beautiful island in the center of the kitchen. I know most will disagree, just giving another opinion and some 2 cents from someone who sees prep sinks other than a necessity.

My prep sink looks so cute and is fully equipped with a garbage disposal, but.. If I were doing over and was looking for places to save money, the prep sink would be one of the first to go. I just don't use it enough. Maybe I'm just not used to it being there as I forget it's there and head back over to the main sink. Also, I'm the main cook in the house, seldom is anyone else working along with me in my kitchen. So, while the sink looks darn cute and I could well afford the space, I don't find it a necessity.

I don't have one and don't miss it. I don't need two sinks to dump things in and keep clean! I guess it depends on how big your kitchen is. I LOVE having the island with nothing but countertop! It makes a great buffet and if a range top or sink were there it would take up precious counter space! JMHO!

As stated in the "barrier island" thread, we have a prep sink and we use it all the time. It's a two cook kitchen, so it's really needed. It's also what makes my island marvelously useful, vice in the way. The sink has its own disposal and garbage. That's key to us for functionality. I also put it in the corner of the island, so it can be used from two sides, has direct access to the fridge AND the stove, and so the rest of the long slab of island is open and available for serving food or whatever. Our prep sink is the cog of our kitchen wheel.

Ivette

Like Ivette, our prep sink is in the corner of our island, accessible from two sides (and we both tend to be working in the kitchen at the same time, so we are often both in need of the sink for something), a few steps from the fridge, and a pivot away from the rangetop and ovens. I think whether you need -- or even want -- a prep sink depends ENTIRELY on how you cook, how MANY of you cook at once, and what you kitchen layout looks like. In our case, we decided to follow an architect's advice and put the large, main cleanup sink in the former butler's pantry, between the dining room and the kitchen/family room. That put that main sink an unacceptable distance from the cooking area, hence the prep sink. We do have a trash pullout next to the prep sink -- so trimmings, etc. go straight off the counter and into it. If I had to haul the garbage across the room, I would use the sink FAR less than I do (which is constantly!) We don't have a disposal in either sink (because of septic/well), so we have a double trash pullout (one trash, one recycling) next to the main sink, and a single one next to the prep sink.

We found it helpful to 'virtually' walk through several scenarios of cooking/food prep as we were designing this kitchen: holiday cooking (lots of hands on deck), family dinners, parties, etc. We could immediately see the need for the second sink as soon as we did this. If you can, I highly recommend 'walking through' some common scenarios in your home -- either virtually, using a computer layout, or in real time/real life in your kitchen. We even marked out the island size in tape on the floor, and experimented with moving around the space with the distances we'd allocated. Quite a process, but we ended up with a kitchen that works like an absolute dream!

But if you don't have the room or the need for a second sink ... by all means, skip it! I think it's one of those things that's become a mantra but which is used, in many instances, where there is just no reason for it -- it becomes more of a bar sink. I'd say if you think you'll use it mostly to fill pots or tea kettles (for instance), get a pot filler instead.

Here's our kitchen layout -- you'll see why we needed one!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen layout with prep sink

I love my prep sink. It's copper and in the island, which I thought I would hate for the reasons stated about setting up a buffet, etc. We actually use the sink as an "ice bucket" to chill wine or drinks when setting up a buffet. The sink is across from the cooktop so we use it for prep, draining pasta, etc. The main farm sink is large but not close enough to the cooktop. I'll gladly trade the clean line of the island for having the convenience of the second sink.

How helpful is it to have sink (prep or main) right next to cooktop? Easiest thing for us to do is have cooktop against wall and prep sink directly across on island, but it sure seems appealing to have both on same counter. Is it that much easier to rinse your veggies, chop them up, and then toss into your pot, without having to pick up cutting board and turn 180 degrees?

I had a prep sink in the last kitchen I remodeled but never really used it. It was in the island in back of the range but the main farm sink was equidistant. Ours didn't have a garbage disposal or trash underneath which I think would be essential in making it more useful. The best use for ours was when we filled it with ice and put beers in it for a party. I'm now planning a new kitchen remodel and will not have a prep sink. I like the idea of an island complete clear of everything.

We opted out because of the location of our main (one and only) kitchen sink and the proximity of the powder room (where, IMO, people other than the cook/cooks should be washing their hands) and wet bar.

We do ALL of our cooking next to the prep sink (which is equipped with a disposer). It's about 4 feet from the range, on the same counter. Our kitchen is not large, and we don't have an island, but we had Sink Bottleneck Syndrome in our pre-remodel kitchen when both my husband and I (or one of our kids) cooked at the same time, so it was very important to me to have two sinks. The prep sink is where we clean and peel veggies, fill pots, drain pasta. The main sink is for clean-up, and it gets a real workout too (it also has a disposer). With separate sinks, one person can cook while someone else keeps up with cleaning the dishes. The second sink really increased the multi-cook functionality of our kitchen.