I have the same wish for a prep sink. The counter material cutout would work except that I'm looking at a Karran sink which has no reveal. I hope someone here has an idea. Thanks.

When they fabricate the sink, they’ll need to cut out the opening. Can you ask them to cut that opening in half (or thirds going horizontally) and add some finger holes? Is that too heavy? Can they fabricate that to make it flush with the counter? Hmmm...an idea I’d never thought of until now.

These are very common in RV’s. Go to a dealership and ask them?

I asked about having the sink cutout for my laundry room. It is going to be Quartz, and the fabricator said no it would be way too heavy to use. I didn't push it. It can be done with corian though.

I ended up buying an mr direct sink, they make wooden cutting boards to fit their sinks and are very reasonable. It is not installed yet, but it is really nice quality. I got the 16 gauge.

Attempting to use quartz pieces will not be practical as it is too heavy, yes. But also both the quartz inserts and the quartz around the sink will very likely get chipped. No, I am thinking a 2cm or 3cm thick piece of PVC sheet cut out to match the sink opening is the only way I can see. I have already discussed this with my countertop supplier and they will cut the opening to reveal maybe a 1/2" of the sink top surface. Yes... This is done in RVs and boat cabins. I think it is a good idea in any size kitchen.

I’d use wood, not plastic. Hot baking dishes won’t hurt it and it’s a better surface for dough working.

Just get a cutting board and use a jigsaw to cut to fit. But you must have a positive sink reveal to make this work. Which is why the ledge sinks were invented. The provide s nice large ledge for accessories to rest upon.

If you want to create additional counter space, buy a ledge sink and there are a myriad of accessories to do this. I have taken this approach and gotten a large single bowl 36" ledge style sink. I have gotten the drain board/grid; the cutting board as well as a sponge caddy.

I don't envision needing it but I can create the same function as a double bowl by just placing something at one end but for the most part I am relishing not having to tilt large roasting pans and trays and then soaking myself and the counter.

With my current sink, I bought a cutting board that has "wings" so that it fits across it. I use it as a cutting board but I also use it for additional counter space - it's not flush with the counter obviously since I now have an over mount sink but it is highly functional and not expensive. I have used it for baking - not for rolling out but I would place a cookie sheet or cake pan on it just as I would if it were a counter.

But since you are getting a new sink and want the functionality of adapting the sink to counter uses at times, why not get a ledge sink? Most people have had a light bulb moment when I tell them about it. Even people with relatively large kitchens like the ability to have a drain board that comes and goes as needed since mine can sit at the bottom of the sink when necessary.

On relation to the ledge sink...
I was not familiar with that but I did a quick search. I am not sure I see a significant difference in relation what I want to accomplish here. If I have the cut out reveal an edge on a conventional sink I achieve the same result. I think.
One thing I noticed on some of these ledge sinks is they seem to have fairly sharp inside corners. In my mind that makes them more difficult to clean which could lead to nasties. But I am not the cook here... That is my wife's thing... I am just kind of an engineer in this and admittedly ignorant to a lot of kitchen stuff. She likes the double bowl traditional stainless sink but we are not very worldly so this kind of stuff is a bit foreign. I will say I tend to avoid trendy stuff... Especially when it comes to functionality. The picture I put at the start of this thread is almost exactly what I want to do... But maybe I am being closed minded?
My space is limited.... In general, do ledge sinks consume the same space?
Is this pic I inserted in this message a good example?

Helen...
Me thinks we need to see this for ourselves some place.
We do still wash dishes like this on occasion, by the way. Personally, I like having the separation between snarfed up dishes and a rinse area with a disposal. But, I am used to that... OLD dog here, ya know.

It's easy to replicate washing dishes that way with a plastic basin at one end - or you can get spendy with a metal "bowl" of some kind.

And with one larger area, you can segregate dishes at one end.

My sink has an offset drain - which means the drain is at the upper side - this frees up more space under the sink as the garbage disposal doesn't sit squat in the middle. This enables me to have a roll out garbage which I wouldn't be able to fit if the drain were in the center middle.

You should check out sink designs in person of course. Most sink replacements are now single bowls because of the flexibility but some people do opt for a double bowl.

In my experience, you can create the function of a double bowl with a single bowl but can't create the functionality of a single bowl if you opt for a double bowl.

Three cheers for that statement, Helen. Stick a dishpan in one side of a single bowl and poof—you’ve got yourself a double-bowl sink!

We are...installing a quartz countertop...

I will say I tend to avoid trendy stuff...

Quartz=trendy stuff

Install white Corian and use the sink cutouts as your sinkhole filler pieces. Same material thickness=flush workspace

Hmmmmm... Now the idea of a single drain/disposal is more interesting with the concept of having room for pull out garbage bins. We were planning on consuming an 18" wide base cabinet for this but if I can utilize the space under the sink this is significant. I shall examine the ledge sink closer now. Thanks.

Not all ledge sinks have the drains offset to the rear and there are non -ledge sinks which have offset drains. You need to look specifically for sinks with the offset drains.

I have limited space and so the ability to utilize the sink cabinet for trash pullouts made my getting an offset drain an extremely high priority. Without that, my sink cabinet is functionally almost useless as a Calcutta Hole where cleaning stuff goes to wither and die :-)

I would not have 18" to dedicate to a trash pull out so I would need to find room for a trash can - and that means in my galley kitchen, I would effectively have to block one lower cabinet or my dishwasher or my refrigerator - not sure what I could block.

I intended a double bowl with a low divide but decided on a single bowl. The double bowl would allow my hubby and I to use the sink at the same time. But the more I watched how we both use the sink, I'm opting for the single bowl with rear drain to accommodate trash and recycling underneath. We'll plumb for a disposal but not install one just yet. I still want to research the environments effects.

So, how do all you users of a single sink wash some pots and at the same time dump waste down a disposal. You actually use a plastic tub to wash in?

I rinse or scrape the excess into the drain then put soap and water right in the pot. I rarely use a separate tub unless I'm multi-tasking and using the sink for prep. My husband puts the dish detergent directly on his sponge.

Love my single bowl ledge sink!! So versatile. In a 36” sink base I have a 45” sink, a 2 bin trash/recycle pullout, and a cleaning supply pullout. It functions so differently than sinks of old. It’s tremendous for prepping and our cleanup process just depends on what needs hand washed. As others have stated, sometimes a big pot serves as the basin, sometimes just dish soap on the scrubby. Sometimes the dish pan. With the offset drain it’s easy to keep the veggie matter confined. There’s lots of sink conversions on GW that a search will reveal. Here’s a few pics of my workhorse setup. I have a variety of wood and plastic inserts which work great for everyday and super for entertaining. When I first designed my kitchen I only allowed for a 24-30” sink I changed that after demo. I realized while using my powder room as a kitchen that the sink is the most used thing in the kitchen so why am I giving it less importance? It was an Aha moment for me. I’m so glad I opened my mind to new functionality!

With a single bowl large sink, there is much more room at the bottom - especially if you get one with a rear side drain.

Like others I scrape into the disposal. However, I am also pretty cognizant of what I send down the drain or disposal so I tend to err on the side of caution and when I am prepping I use a bowl for the stuff which makes it easy to sweep everything into and then dispose of safely - I learned the hard way that a lot of veggies into a disposal can cause a clog and I also try to avoid animal fats that can also congeal.

The only stuff I hand wash are pots and pans and delicate items. For pots and pans, with one large bowl, I put generally squirt detergent and let them soak or as another posted wrote, squirt some detergent onto the sponge or scrubby as applicable. For delicate stuff like crystal, I wouldn't put them in a basin anyway so I just squirt onto a sponge and wash.

With a double bowl sink, often the stuff I want to soak is too large to lay flat so I have to soak sequentially.

However, if for whatever reason you do want the functionality of a smaller bowl at some point, it's very easy to just put a bowl into the side of the large single bowl that doesn't have the drain.

I am in the middle of my kitchen remodel and the sink was the first thing I have ordered since I wanted a left handed rear offset drain since I am left handed and my DW is going to be installed to the left :-) It's waiting in a crate for me on the East Coast but I am having trouble finding contractors so demo hasn't even started :-(