Get a better DW! Dishwashers use less than 1/3 of the water that hand washing does. A good one, like a KA or Bosch will get plastics mostly dry if you let the cycle actually finish. A 25'' sink IS plenty big enough when you eliminate all of that hand washing.

I say get the biggest sink you have room for. When we moved into our home 14 years ago it had a 50/50 split sink, which is what I had always had prior to that. We did a mini-remodel at that time that included new floors, new laminate countertops and a 30" single bowl. I loved that sink so much!!! We are almost done with a complete remodel and in our new kitchen we put in a 36" stainless single bowl, apron front. I love this sink even more!!! I never, ever, ever fill the sink with water though. All dishes (including the very seldom used plastic storage containers) go in the dishwasher. Pots/pans/sheet pans/bakeware/knives all get handwashed but I just run the water to wash and rinse those.

We've got the "D" style Edge sink from Karran and are completely satisfied.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 8:18

How big is your kitchen?
Will you have just one sink?
How do you use your sink?
How do you envision using your sink?
What type of sink:drop in, undermount, farmhouse?

I tried to get the biggest sink we could fit. I only had room for a 27" sink base, which allowed us to get a 23" x17" sink basin. It's a bit deep. I have a $4 plastic wash bucket that I can fill if I need to, got it during reno, but haven't used it since. My new dishwasher is amazing, just about everything goes in there now.

Not sink size related, but I love our Planetbox lunchboxes! No more plastic bags! They fit in my DW. Just one item, SS, I open it up and put in DW each night and repack each morning. Well, I have my kids pack their own lunches, so really they do it all. No chasing down plastic lids and containers that never really dry in the DW. I've used them for about 7 years, three kids. Given their longevity, and ditching all the plastic bags, and the sheer ease of just putting one item in DW each night, I would have to say I think it is worth the pretty high price. Bonus, the sandwhiches dont end up smooshed either.

Planetbox.com

And really, I'm just a happy consumer, no affiliation whatsoever.

OOTM_Mom, I immediately thought "Planetbox!" when I read the OP's statement about washing those plastic lunch containers. My kids love their planetboxes. So easy for my kids to pack, use, and clean!

No affiliation either, but highly recommend and worth the upfront cost.

rmryan, I chose a 25" sink when I redid my kitchen several years ago. I thought I was compromising because I put in a DW (that wasn't there before) and I didn't want to lose any more cabinet space. Well.... I love it! I would never have a divided sink again, regardless of the proportions of each side. I also would never get one with a curved side as there seems to be absolutely no advantage to that. Get a simple, deep as you can find, rectangle that uses the very most of your cabinet space. You'll be very happy.

OP here. I love the planetbox idea! I'll invest in some. My issue with plastic in the DW isn't clean-related, it's to do with avoiding heating plastics to high temps where they may leach chemicals - just my personal choice (no proselytizing from me). Slapping my head re measuring my pans and such. We are still in the planning stages so I can change the cabinet size at this point but will definitely max out the space with the sink. Thanks for the input!

I measured my sink this am when I posted. It's the biggest, deep and simple rectangle that I could fit in my space, like tomatofreak suggests. We cook, a lot. Our family's main drink is water and we drink water from the faucet. We pile dirty dishes. The kids use the sink for paint projects, etc. The sink gets lots of work. It is plenty big enough for us, esp given our overall space limits.

Euro DWs don't do a heated dry.

My sister has a single sink and so I asked her what size to help me figure out how big I wanted. She said it's about 21" by 15" by 8" deep, and it's just about the right size, but she'd possibly want it a little bigger. We are getting the one linked below, and its interior dimensions are 22" long by almost 18" front-back by 10" deep. I measured my larger pans and they will all fit without a problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blanco Diamond single bowl dual mount

Quick comments: I love (although love isn't a strong enough word) my silgranit super single clean up sink. Bigger really is better. Go with as big as you can fit, or at least as big as anything you want to put inside it.

I put all my plastics in my Miele DW. No heated dry.

Off-topic.....I am interested in planetbox. My issue is that my son doesn't really like sandwiches, only eating about two per month. I pack him a lunch everyday as the school lunches are nasty. I use a hot thermos most days for his lunch (soup, leftovers, etc.) so my question is can the planetbox just be used with cold foods or can it keep hot food hot?

Off topic response... I dont think theyd work very well keeping hot food hot, but I havent been to their website in a while, so maybe they have come out with something new. My kids have never eaten a school lunch. They refuse, and I dont blame them. So these lunchboxes have seen a LOT of use.

OT, sorry for the hijack: Breezy, my 1st grader (2d grader after tomorrow!) doesn't like sandwiches much either. The "box" is stainless. But, the bag offers some insulation. (It also has a pocket for an ice pack to keep things cool.) We found that our old kid thermos didn't keep things "hot." This was a similar result. Her stuff stayed "warmed." The key for her, and my other 2, is that packing fruit and salads, dressings, pastas, hummus and carrots, etc is so much easier. Cookies don't get crushed either! The company may have more "soup" specific solutions too.

Ok, back to the sink: One note, our rectangular sink is 17 deep, interior, and under mounted. Our faucet almost interfered with our window sill. The handle is front mounted so clearance with backsplash is not an issue.

Regarding the single vs double sink and sink size... I am struggling with this, too. On the one hand, a large single sink would be great because I could wash large cookie sheets and pots easier, which I typically don't put in the DW as they don't fit well, need scrubbing, or take up too much room.

On the other hand, even though virtually everything else does go in the DW, I'm not sure how I'd get by without a double sink. I cannot count how often I have stuff stacked (waiting for DW to finish running or to rinse off food residue and load in DW, etc.) or soaking in one side of the sink, while needing to do food prep or something in the other side.

Do others not find this an issue, or have you just always used your sinks differently than I do? Anyone get a single sink instead of double and hate it?

How about a compromise? There are plenty of models out there now that are 60/40 splits. You can get the best of both worlds without the size restriction of a 50/50. Did you look at the Blanco website? I am a Blanco silgranite undermount fan but other manufacturers have great models/finishes too.

Here is a style with a low divide if that appeals to you? If you need a bigger area, just fill with water higher than the low divide.

Almost everyone loves, loves their single, deep, single, not split, no divide sink. We have all come from doubles, shallows, etc and would not go back. We all have different systems for washing dishes and veggies but the biggest single you can get is what is best.

Straight sides, as previously mentioned. Mine is 30" and 10 " deep.

. I don't get backaches with that deep sink because I have a Kohler Karbon faucet. The faucet and how it sprays must be considered when you contemplate the sink. For me, drain placement on the side or way in the back became a non issue due to the sink grid and mostly the flexibility of the Karbon.

I also have a dirty little secret in that I keep a square plastic 12 inch tall box, lined with plastic bags, right in the corner of the sink for garbage. I do have a trash pullout but we use the garbage can in the sink. Pre reno, I just used a plastic grocery bag in the sink. Way more convenient for me to have trash right there.

hth

I agree w westsider40. There easy and inexpensive ways to adapt a big, deep rectangular single bowl to different tasks. But, you cannot undivide a divided sink.

Well I'm a proud middle of the roader. I went from a 50/50 to a Blanco Precis Cascade with an integrated basket and I LOVE it and would totally hate one big rectangular bowl. But our personal preferences are what makes the world go 'round and what makes for such spirited GW discussions!

PhoneLady- I am seriously thinking about this sink too. Can you please post pictures of yours. From the Blanco pictures, I'm not sure if you can fill up the small section with water, or does water just pour into it if you fill the large section with water. Thanks!

I love our divided sink - it has two bowls with a 70/30 split and it's great! (We had a 50/50 split in our old kitchen and even in a 36" sink base the bowls weren't very useful - too small for larger dishes and too big for smaller tasks - a 70/30 is much better!)

Overall Dimensions: 35-1/8" x 20-7/8" (in a 36" sink base)
Interior of Large Bowl: 21-3/8" x 18-3/4" x 9"
Interior of Small Bowl: 10-1/2" x 15-7/8" x 7"

The large bowl is big enough for all my pots & pans (including handles) as well as my largest cookie sheet and roasting pans. It even fits my Vent-A-Hood fan (I wash it by hand). As to refrigerator shelves & bins all but the full-width deli drawer and shelf over it fit in the large bowl. Oh, and it holds a lot of dirty dishes from baking marathons!

The smaller side is great for soaking small things but is still big enough to fit my 8 quart stock pot for filling as well as my largest colander for draining pasta. If I want to fill it to soak something it uses less water than our old 50/50 split sink did.

If there are dishes in the large bowl, you can still prep in the small bowl.

Single- vs Double-bowl sink is a matter of preference. If you only have one sink in your kitchen and have at least a 33" sink cabinet (although, I do think 36" is better), then I would seriously consider a double-bowl sink. If you have two sinks and/or not enough space for a wider sink base, then a single-bowl may be a better option.

I know some people will say to just use a dishpan in a large single for the small soaking jobs. However, to do so means dumping the dirty water on top of clean things or just getting in the way. It would also mean trying to find somewhere to store the dishpan when not in use.

Here's my sink:

Large Bowl at Work:

Small Bowl at Work:

Here are a couple of threads that discuss single vs double:

Thread: Single Bowl Sink - Will I Be Sorry?
Thread: Sell me on a one bowl sink (or not)...

Regarding the "D" shape...One of the biggest advantages of a "D" shaped sink is that they are often deeper front-to-back than rectangular sinks. They can be deeper b/c faucets, etc. can be mounted on the "curve" so they are not completely behind the sink. This means you don't need as much room behind the sink to fit the faucet. This is especially important if you have a raised window w/trim and/or a sill behind the sink. (Trim and sills reduce the usable space in front of them and behind a sink.)

Mounting a faucet on a curve also places the faucet closer to you so there's less leaning forward to reach it.

It's exaggerated a little, but you should be able to see what I mean. In reality the "D" sink is probably only 2 or 3 inches deeper, but with a smaller sink, those inches can be important!

Hi Denise.....I am actually a Denise too! I am posting a pic for you, BUT I can also tell you that you can NOT fill the small section with water. The basket sits on a raised platform and the platform is notched so water running through the basket rolls right out and down the drain. Just a household of hubby and me and this sink style is perfect for our lifestyle. I can hand wash wine glasses and other small items and have them drain in the basket. My husband sets his commuter mug in there for the next use. I originally was going to get another Blanco model, but realized it would not fit in our base cabinet. The Precis was the only one that would fit besides a 50/50 (NO WAY) so it really worked out great for our remodel.

Well done Buehl.

I had a 25" (21" interior width) single and found it just a bit small on some occasions.

I put in another single, but it is a 26" interior width (Blanco Stellar) and I am finding it to be perfect. That extra 5 inches didn't eat up too much counter or cabinet space, but has made the sink sooo easy to use. I looked at the next size up (30") but thought it was too big for my kitchen.

As a former SoCal girl I understand the concerns about water use (would never wash with water running!) but I do as you see in Buehl's pic -- fill the dirty item, plus have an inch or so in the sink, wash everything, drain, then rinse.

I have to have a double sink and the disposal on the left side if possible. If I am washing a few dishes and find a plate with food on it.....I need a disposal without letting out the water then washing the plate.

One sink is larger than the other and I like that.

I appreciate all the input on sizes, double vs. single, and even other options (had not seen anything like the Precis before! Cool!). I am in the early stages of planning and will check out the other two threads on single vs. double bowls. Thank you to buehl for posting them and all the great photos!

There have been so many helpful threads on here as I get into the planning....

I used to have a 50/50 sink too, and the bowls were not quite big enough.

In my remodel, I wanted a two-bowl sink, in the smallest base cabinet I could get, to maximize storage in my smallish U-shaped kitchen. I came up with the one in the link below. It's about 60/40, but because of the way it's laid out, the small side isn't much smaller than the old sink, and the larger side is much larger. The specs call for a 33" minimum cabinet size, but I bought the sink before our custom cabinets were built, and the cabinet maker got the sink in a 30" base. Whoo Hoo!

I have never had a cookie sheet so dirty that it required horizontal soaking - though admittedly, since I started using stoneware baking sheets, I don't use big cookie sheets very often. A rectangular cake pan or cast iron frying pan fits easily. It's so much bigger front-to-back than the old one! I never hand wash enough dishes at one time to result in backache from the increased depth. DH doesn't mind it either - and he's 6'4".

Like Buehl, two bowls works really well for us. DH will fill up the large side making dinner, and the garbage disposal on the small side is available for cleanup.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ann's sink

This post was edited by annkh on Mon, Jun 30, 14 at 14:05