We have a large single at the cottage - hate it. Made sure we had a double at home. I grew up in a real farmhouse and we had a large farmhouse sink. I never liked it. Much prefer my double with one large bowl, one small bowl sink.

I had a large, deep copper sink in our last house/kitchen and actually ordered another one just like it for our new home. But once we ordered an English kitchen, DH talked me into a V&B fireclay farmhouse sink which is gorgeous and fits our kitchen better. The single copper sink is in our laundry room. Next house, deep single sink!

Had doubles in previous houses. I prefer a big single. So much so that with this remodel, I chose the kohler stages 45.

Annie -- what type of sink to you have?

I'll be changing from double to single - and would love the integrated drain board.

If I did not have a DW and had to wash everything in the sink, I would want a double. Now everything that I have goes into a DW (or went to a charity) and I have a large single sink with only one drain which has the one garbage disposal. I do not have separate prep and cleanup sinks and I think that if you put everything into your DW you really don't need a separate prep and cleanup sinks (although you may still want one) or a double bowl sink. When we had a double sink and no DW one side of our our double sink was used to hold dirty dishes, usually sitting in formerly hot, scummy water, yuck. I hated hated hated having to put my hand in that water to release the drain and fill it up with the hot soapy water, absolutely disgusting, I hope that I will always be fortunate enough to be able to afford a DW.

One of the reasons I remodeled the kitchen in my previous home was to get rid of the double sink. Never looked back.

We are very happy with our single basin sink - particularly when it comes time to wash those large pans or trays. With the double I used to make daily trips to the laundry room to wash them. Not going back!

Personally, I can go either way - as long as the double bowl sink has a fairly large bowl.

My DH does not like single-bowl sinks at all - he much prefers 2 bowls - but he agrees about two different sizes. In our case, the larger bowl is 21" wide and the smaller 10.5" wide.

Yes we've both used single bowls in other people's homes who only have one sink - and they are a pain to use when you need a small place for water, want to separate tasks in the sink - cleanup vs prep, etc.

We do not have the luxury of having extra storage space for a dish bin to make a large single work as a double - so it really was not an option. Plus, it's just easier to use a small sink bowl.

BTW...we do have two sinks, but since we often have more than one person prepping a meal and cleaning up, it's nice to have the double-bowl sink for everyone else! I get the prep sink! :)

In November went from large, deep double sink to large single. I love it, still say it every time I wash a big pan by hand. Last night it was three sheet pans. I worried I was doing the wrong thing because I really did just fine with the large double, but I can't imagine going back now. I even told DH while we were waiting to remodel (5years) we should have put a single sink in. No prep sink and it is not an issue.

Strongly prefer a big, deep double. One side is used primarily as a place for pots and pans to drip dry somewhat out of the way and the other is plenty big for all other tasks. At canning time it's nice to have one side to wash fruit in and the other for peeling drippy stuff. A similarly sized single would be a waste of space because of the inability to keep things apart. The big side of our double is plenty big to wash anything we own, including the big canning kettles and full sheet baking pans.

Never had or wanted a "prep" sink, needless duplication and waste of counter space-- they are usually too small for almost anything.

rwiegand thanks for your comment, but did you previously have a big 28"+ sink and decided to go back to a double? i just don't want this thread to be another thread about what people prefer or think they prefer, as there are literally dozens of those already. i would like to hear from people who've owned both. if you have i apologize it just isn't clear from your comment

I went from a 33" double drop-in to a 33" single apron sink. I LOVE the single sink. I've said before (and if you've read a few of the threads you've probably read this), I truly fell in love with the large single sink when I discovered that my oven racks would lay flat for soaking. But I love it for doing all the hand washables--silverplate, plastics, large pots, etc . I usually have a large mixing bowl or pot to wash, so I fill that with soapy water and use it as a dish pan. When all the other dishes are done, I wash, rinse, and drain it. I have runnels on the sink counter, and use a microfiber mat for the overflow.

Over 35 years, we have had many sinks - most of them doubles by default as we didn't build and didn't always stay very long. If I could only have one, it would be the biggest damn single I could fit. You can always stretch a colander or bucket across to make a second work area if needed. But, you can't make a double function like a single.

For this remodel, we went with 2 sink areas and don't consider them needless duplication or a waste of counter space. One can argue however, you do lose potential lower drawer space with added sinks. One is a Stages 45 (AKA around these parts as Amphrite) for prep. One is a 70/30 for clean up. The 70 side can take a cookie sheet flat and the 30 is great for putting all the little things we don't like in the DW and for draining stuff. So, I would consider a 70/30 perhaps, but it wouldn't be my first choice if only 1 sink was an option.

Functionally, Amphrite can go from 0 to 45 inches, and anything in between, of available wet area in a few seconds. Truly a technological marvel. I would actually argue that the less counter space one has, the larger and more versatile a sink should be.

In our often 3 adult kitchen, having 2 sink areas has made making dinner a nightly party around these parts.

My husband and I were surprised to discover that moving from a double to a single sink was one of our favorite changes from the remodel. We'd never go back.

We use the dishwasher for almost everything. The things that are hand washed are the big stuff: sheet pans, roasting pans, big stock pots, etc. For everything that we hand wash the single sink is better.

For people whose workflow favors a double sink I would absolutely get an 70/30 with the large side large enough to fit a half sheet pan. I loathed washing those before.

I don't have a prep sink but I will put one in my next kitchen. Not for the sink bowl, but for the number of times multiple people need the faucet at the same time.

Love our large single bowl!

Having a single bowl was a major deviation from any kitchen I had ever worked in. We kept hearing all the raving about a single bowl so decided to get a cheap used one on CL to use until we go for the full remodel. I figured it was worth the $50 as a test since eventually we'd have new countertops with a custom cut out with a sink - hence no do overs if I didn't like a single bowl.

Some have said they keep an extra tub for doing dishes, but we just use any large bowl that's waiting around needing to be cleaned to create a temp smaller sink. For most times though, I use a dobie pad to wash the 2-3 items and lay them on a mat to dry while I wash down the countertops off. Dry the dishes and put them away. Very quick and easy.

Have only one sink whole is great. No question for visitors as to where the disposal is. Also cleaning the sink is 2 fewer sides to the sink to clean. I'm not positive but I think the plumbing can be constructed to make better use of the space underneath the sink with single bowls. Cleaning the refrigerator drawers and shelves is sooooo much easier. The few things that aren't quite as easy with a double bowl are so easily remedied. Good luck with your decision

I installed another large single replacing a double tonight.

went from a double to a single, am very happy with decision.

Hi Steve, great question! I've used both single and double sink setups. I've never had a prep sink. I really think it's a matter of personal preference, based on: overall size of kitchen/counter space; what kind of cooking you do/what types of cooking & baking dishes you use; what types of things you prefer to hand wash rather than stick in the DW; how you like your work flow to go and how many people are typically in the kitchen during prep/cleanup; budget; and esthetics. Having said all that, I haven't decided yet what I want in my upcoming kitchen remodel, but those are the kinds of criteria I'll use to help me decide. :-)

Has single in the house before this --- HATED it! Couldn't put that skillet in the sink filled with soap and water to soak and fill the 5-gallon dog water jug at the same time or drain the pasta .......

This house has an extra deep double 50/50 sink with a tall gooseneck faucet for filling big pans. As I type, one side is empty and useable - the other side is soaking paint brushes.

After a year of suffering with a double sink (equal sized bowls), we will put in a large single as part of our remodel. Thank goodness!!! How I have missed my single bowl (but smallish) sink from our old house. The new one will be about 1/3rd larger than that in our old house.

The test is: can I 1) wash a cookie sheet without standing it on end, and 2) wash the cat boxes sitting fully in the sink.

Thankfully, we have a utility sink in our house now so I don't have to use the kitchen sink for the cat boxes. But that's still a test for size.

I grew up with a large single bowl, and then when double bowls became fashionable, I had several kitchens with double bowl sinks. Never liked them. Hated always banging into that divider, and also having two drains so that the plumbing took up more under-sink space. Also, if you have a disposal, whichever side you install the disposal, you will wish you installed it on the other side. My last two kitchens have had single bowl sinks and I will never go back to a double bowl.

Ann Scott-Arnold - the issue you described can be solved in two ways: (1) get a single-bowl sink that is a good size, 27" wide or larger, and (2) get a sink with an "offset drain". An offset drain is a drain that is not dead-center in the sink, but instead is rear-center or rear-corner. They are so great. With an offset drain, you can lay things down like a roasting pan in the sink and not cover the drain. In addition, an offset drain allows more storage space under the sink, because the plumbing is not in the middle, but off to the side.

I've added a photo of one example of an offset drain, in a BlancoDiamond Super Single sink.

Also, your mention of a frying pan soaking is interesting because the only double-bowl sinks I've seen that have the space to lay down a frying pan flat (with its handle) are a minimum of 36" wide. By that criterion (being able to soak a frying pan), if your kitchen doesn't have the space for a 36" double-bowl sink, you'd do better with a single bowl that is 28"-30" wide to save space.

We just went from a single back to a double in our new home. We loved our big single sink for washing dishes but because we wash a lot by hand we always ended up with a drying rack on the counter full of dishes. So in our new house we went back to a double but we got the Silgranite divided sink where the divider is actually only a few inches tall which enables us to easily wash our large baking pans but also keep a separate area when we need it for drying dishes. It's the best of both worlds.

Love our single sink for soaking big pans if needed. Hate double sinks due to size. Also with 2 DW we don't do any other hand washing. Even the no stick pans we bought are DW safe. I've always put my wooden cutting boards in the DW too and they're over 20 years old. I'm just a rebel that way. ;) It's physically hard for me to do dishes by hand and DS nephews and Hubby don't so in everything goes.

I have had both single and double sinks. When I changed my kitchen counter, backsplash and everything else that seems to come up, I put in a 70/30 sink and love it. The 70 side is deeper than the 30 side and the divide between the sides is lower than normal. It was like a revelation to me with my new sink. I could wash large pans and cookie sheets easily, or soak something in the larger side and still use the smaller sink for prep, garbage disposal in small sink side. I love the function of my 70/30 double sink!

Steve, IIRC, you are, or were, pretty set on the IKEA Domsjo farmhouse sinks, due to price, but were debating whether to go with the single or double. As I recall, you have an extraordinarily long run of counter space, so size wasn't an issue for you. Is this correct? If so, is it still the case that you are choosing between the two Domsjos?

I don't understand why two bowls are needed for two separate tasks. With a large single sink you can, for example, use one side to dry a few dishes on the grate while rinsing off your veggies on the other side. But I also never fill a sink to wash dishes. Even if something does need to soak, I just fill the inside of the pan with water, not the whole sink.

Good observation, funkycamper! I've really been mulling this over since I'm also debating one vs. two bowls. I think maybe it can go back to how I was raised. We didn't have a dishwasher until I was 11 or 12. My parents always did the dishes together; mom washed, dad dried and put away the dishes, except the dinnerware, which was my job. When we moved to Seattle when I was thirteen, the biggest deal in our new house, for my mom, was two bowls! And a garbage disposal! I heard about the luxury of two bowls until the day she died. But seriously, as I stated above, it's a personal opinion and it really depends upon how one uses it. Ultimately, there's no right or wrong answer. It's what works best for YOU. :-)

We are remodeling our kitchen and I need to decide between the single or double bowl. According to the discussions here most are concerned with whether you can wash large pans, cookie sheets, etc. What about when you're prepping something like chicken (I won't have a prep sink) - I don't want anything else in the sink at that time so it seems like a double would be more functional. Thoughts?

JJka,

I have a single sink. I don't prep in my sink. When I have a whole chicken to cut up, I chop it apart on a cutting board. If I need to rinse the chicken, I put it in a bowl and rinse in the sink even it there are other items in the sink. This approach works for me. I wash things like spinach and other leafy veggies this way in a large bowl in the sink. My sink does not usually have too many things sitting in it. I try to load the dishwasher throughout the day.

I have a single-bowl sink, and have had double-bowl sinks in the past, and wouldn't go back. I can't stand banging into the divider. I also don't like that the drain that does not have a disposal will have to have its strainer slimy contents dumped to the other side with the disposal. As to chicken, I rinse my chicken under running water under the faucet. Dry with a paper towel. Place on cutting board and cut into pieces which go directly into pan. I would not want to put the chicken into a bowl of water to rinse because the contaminants you want to wash off are just going in the bowl water and redistributing on the chicken.

I can't figure out the appeal of a single sink so I keep getting a double. My double is large enough to hold a canner on each size and for baking sheets you wash one end and flip it around to do the other side. No big deal. When I use a roaster (2x) yr, I turn it into it's own little sink. This has to be individual taste.

I have only had deep doubles with our kitchen update we were going to a deep single. My friends say they would never go back to double so I figured why not try now. Glad to hear the majority feel the same here!

I have joked many times that I feel sorry for people who still have double bowl sinks...they must not have ever used a large, deep single bowl sink or they would be crying to remodel!!! It's as simple as what one other person said...if you need a double bowl and have a single, a large bowl or dish pan turns it into a double bowl...if you need a single and have a double you are SOL. I have a 10" deep 36" sink with a sink grid. Just about every day I have something drying on the left side while I rinse veggies or wash the coffee pot on the right side. I think the secret is getting a big enough single. I have had a single for almost 17 years and will NEVER go back to a double. I think my Mom is CRAZY since they just built a house and she put it a standard double bowl. Seriously though, whatever works for you is what you should do...a double bowl will not work for me.

Another thing that might make a difference for some is that we compost and have never had a disposal.

I posted to this a year ago just before we remodeled our kitchen. We took out a double bowl (total about 30" wide) and replaced it with a 29" wide single bowl. In our old house our single bowl was 22" wide.

A year later, I will tell you that I have never regretted taking out that darned double sink. My husband is sick of hearing how much I love the new sink. The only thing I don't like is that the grid at the bottom is too large to fit in the dishwasher without taking out the upper rack and spray arm. I bought a good brush and clean it once a week.

During the same remodel, we took out the 14" deep American Standard square deep utility sink and replaced it with a sink about 18 x 22 - about 11" deep. I needed larger size more than I needed the depth. Love that change too.

Don't wash your chicken.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/08/31/216948010/dont-panic-your-questions-on-not-washing-raw-chickens

I've used both. I like my double better. I have too many things I hand wash and let drip-dry in there. I HATE a dryign rack on the counter (I don't even know that my pans would fit in one). Never really had trouble with things fitting in a big double stainless sink.

I change a lot of sinks. Virtually everyone is going from double to single, maybe a low-divide single. Sold one today.

Don't wash your chicken.

I thought the same thing when I read that and it dates back even further than that article!

I am so glad I happened across this discussion. I have had a 22" single bowl for years and loved it, however I also had a "bar" sink, but took that out about a month ago during a remodel. I really haven't missed it. In my new countertop I was quoted for a 60/40 double, but since reading here, I changed my mind and will go with a 28" single. I'm excited now!

I wash my chicken to remove the blood. My chickens are from a local farm. I am not concerned with pathogens as they are cooked or smoked to safe temperatures.

Karen, congrats on your new single sink!

I have a 60/40 sink and love it. I guess it just depends upon how you work.

When we remodeled 16 years ago we went from a double to a big single and it was one of the best features in our kitchen. We just completed another remodel and went with a 36" single bowl ss farmhouse and love it! I have never had a prep sink, cook and bake every day, and wash my pots/pans by hand and have no problem with a big single.

I am always standing at my 33" single sink and saying how much I love my kitchen. Such a simple thing that makes such a big difference. Even DH likes it because we can both stand at it and do two different things at the same time.

As far as cleaning the stainless grid, I fill the sink until it is completely immersed in hot water and add a splash of chlorine bleach, let it sit for 10 minuets. Then I rinse. Presto, clean grid.

In the minority here, but I went from a single large Elkay to a Kohler 60/40 low divide, and I love it! It fits my style of having a side available for clean versus dirty.

If you don’t frequently work with large cooking’s sheets and have no other sink and have few things that’s always drying out - stick to double bowl

I install 200 sinks a year. 193 are single bowls, 4 are low-divides, and 3 are fully-divided sinks. When given the choice, people overwhelmingly chose a single bowl sink.

There are so many things that make a sink work better…my fave is always a big deep single sink with straight sides no swooping curves around the base that do not allow anything to be pushed into a corner

Just because stats say so and everyone is doing it is no reason to get it. Go with how it functions for you.

My wife bounced around the kitchen for a week when we replaced our single bowl sink for a double bowl. She absolutely hated the single bowl and I never loved it.