In my last kit I had a 70/30 split bowl and loved it. My present kit is small so I went with one large bowl and I have to say I miss my old sink. That said I know I am in the minority here but so many people that love their big single also have a prep sink. I don't, :(

Not so sure about cleaning the bread pans...Have you considered expandable over-the-sink strainers? There are also colanders versions. They straddle the sink -- seems they would solve most of the your issues. How about a Kohler Karbon faucet to make filling the pots while they are on the counter convenient?

Here is a link that might be useful: Example of Stainer

without a beveled edge, you can still hang things off of the sink rim.
i think the Kohler Cape Dory sink has a beveled edge too.

definitely yes it is good to hang colanders off the sink rim.

I have a single sink and don't like it. I don't like having to have to put a bowl in the sink for dirty dishes so I can use the rest of tbe sink. When I am preparing a meal where I need to wash veggies and peel shrimp I wish I could have two seprate areas. I also like to wash dishes as I go. I want one bowl for dishes and the other to use while cooking. I hate always having a bowl in the sink for dished. If you have a prep sink it would solve the majority of my complaints.

I went with a 70 30 farmhouse and love it. I wanted a single bowl but didn't have room for a separate prep sink. This for me was the best of both worlds. The 70 side is large enough for even the biggest lasagna pan or cookie sheet. I use the 30 side for prepping veggies, etc. And the depth makes me swoon :)

I rarely use a strainer, I mostly use a spider for draining pastas and veggies. No regrets for me, my last sink was an old, shallow 50 50 POS. This one is a dream!

I don't miss my double sink at all! I love the huge single sink. I use the one side for propping up my cutting board while it dries. Even with it in the other side of the sink, it doesn't interfere with washing, prepping, soaking, etc. I put the pasta strainer right over the drain while draining it and I use a bowl for the large mesh strainer while draining beans. No big deal.

There's no law that says you have to have one large sink and that's it. You can (first choice) do a smaller prep sink closer to the range that will take care of your straining/draining needs. Or you can do the one large single with a smaller sink next to it rather than a single sink with double bowls. Create a "wet zone" rather than just a cleanup or prep zone.

Thanks to all for these replies. The over-the-sink strainer that AtHomeSewing mentions certainly would go a long way toward helping, especially if we could rest the mesh strainer in it. We need the very fine mesh for draining the rice.

Also, what a great excuse for considering the Kohler Karbon!

GreenDesigns: Hmm. Very interesting. I hadn't thought about two sinks next to/near each other. Since things are pretty tight, it doesn't look like we'll have room for a prep sink in a different location. Will have to go back to look at sinks and dimensions with this idea in mind. Intriguing.

CeltinNE: what is a "spider"?

I'm really looking forward to being able to wash half-sheet pans, roasting pans, and the like without getting water all over everywhere!

I have an over-the-sink strainer that's fine meshed enough to rinse rice in. I use it constantly! I went from a double bowl sink to a Blanco supersingle, and I don't miss the old one at all. It's much more versatile than the double bowl was. I keep a small dishpan under the sink for when I want to handwash the wine glasses, but honestly, I rarely even pull it out.
You can get over the sink collanders in a variety of configurations, from fine to coarse for pasta or washing veggies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine mesh over the sink strainer

I had a cool Kohler sink in the old kitchen that equated to about a 70/30, with a rounded small bowl that was pretty useless. This temporary house kitchen has a 1971 old school, shallow cast iron 50/50. I noticed the other day how, despite my hatred for the 50/50, I use the divider much like you described. I even found myself wondering how I would get used to a single bowl again without the handy divider! ((shudder))

If I somehow survived with an essentially single bowl before, I can do it again. You just adjust. That's all. You get used to it and develop new habits. And maybe a new gadget or two....

I typically do not rinse boiled, steamed etc food as it washes out the flavors and nutrients. Especially pasta. IMHO. Maybe chiefneil or someone with more cooking savvy than I can weigh in here. Here is a pic of the spider I have, not mine as it is currently in the dishwasher.

{{!gwi}}

Please let us know what sink you decide on.

Sounds like this old dog will need to adjust and learn some new tricks! Well worth it for easier maneuvering of large items around in the sink.

cj47: I didn't realize there were so many expandable strainer/colander options. Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

CeltinNE: Ah, so that's what a spider is. We have a similar implement that we use for getting ravioli and gnocchi out of the pasta pot. I agree with you about not rinsing pasta or rice -- or steamed anything. We just use the colander to catch pasta as we empty the pasta pot.

The same for the rice as we have come to prefer the Indian method of soaking the rice first and then boiling it for about 4 minutes, then straining off the water and letting the rice sit for about 4 more minutes back in the pan with a towel under the lid to absorb the extra moisture. The result = wonderful individual grains of rice. Sounds like more work than it is.

Oh, wait. I bet you meant that you don't "dump" your pasta out into a colander, but rather lift it out with the spider. Is that what you meant? But then what about the water that would inevitably cling to pasta in shapes like penne that would trap water? Don't you still have to get rid of that or risk watery sauces?

CJ - Mine practically lives on the sink:

Sometimes I've read threads about people ruing the width of the counter around the sink, but I find it a really useful ledge -- not the least reason for which being that I like to hang the colander off it.

Like Greendesigns suggests, I've come to think of my second prep sink as basically, the second bowl of a two-bowl sink. My sinks are just a little further spaced apart than a double bowl. I was skeptical at first - thought two sinks was too profligate, thought the second sink was too close, etc. I am finding that the two sinks are not too close together, as they are, again, essentially like twin bowls. I use both sinks pretty much similarly, including for cleanup, filling, draining.

My second sink is a large silgranite with a built in ledge that has a colander sitting in it. I don't love it though. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to utilize the drain-thing effectively. I'd rather have the removable colander, I think, in exchange for the full, "super" bowl. IMO the silgranite's aren't actually all that giant. YMMV.

It's sabjimata's or trailrunner's giant old gardenshed sinks that I crave. I just noticed in dd's old school's art room is a *great* sink that I really want! It's like sabjimata's. I don't know the dimension of those things, but I would prefer one bigger than the 33" or so of the silgranite. Especially my foreshortened one. BTW, I do love the silgranite material a whole lot. And they have some beautiful split sinks too if you're interested (Blanco).

It was good to read what I thought about single bowls and that was a prep sink was typically included.

We currently have a 50/50 and needless to say, we don't like it. The raves about single bowls on GW is overwelming. The more we thought about it, w/o an additional sink, it seemed we would lose something too valuable. The 70/30 sink I think will take care of it (keeping my fingers crossed).

Breezy, how large was the smaller sink on your 70/30. I think our smaller sink will be 10" x 19" which I would anticipate working well.

I also depend on the over the sink collander strainer in my deep, single bowl sink. The problem with the double bowl/different size, is that the garbage disposal isn't always on the side where you need it when you need it!

I've had this exact thought myself. My whole life, all I ever had was a single sink until moving into my current house 6 years ago. Now I have what would be a 75/25 sink. It has a 21" wide section and a 7" wide section. At first I thought the small sink was useless. But now, I'm noticing all that I do use it for. I often will stand up cookie sheets and cooling racks waiting to be washed leaving the large side clear for washing food. Sometimes it's vice versa with dirty dishes in the big side and room to wash food on the small side, although less often because it is so small, it's uncomfortable to use it that way. When I bought the house it came with a very cold grotty plastic bowl that fits the small sink perfectly. Must have come with the sink. I never used it because it is old, stained, and yucky and I'm not the one who made it that way.

So now I'm wondering if I want a small sink next to my 33" farm sink.

Sorry kashmi, I should have clarified. I do use the spider to drain and shake the water off. The design lets the water go back into the pot. What little water is left is starchy pasta water that does not make the sauces watery. If anything it makes the sauces a wee bit thicker. Though I don't know if this method works with freshly made pastas. I love the pic of that strainer. Do you know who makes it? I just don't have one that works well I guess. Hence the spider.

I was mistaken above my sink that I loved was 60/40. always had a clean "40%" to wash veggies/fruits as well as drain knives, cutting board, 2 cast iron pans and the rare pan that didn't fit in the DW.

Haven't read the entire thread but it looks like others beat me to my suggestion anyway -- the expandable strainer that straddles the sink. I have one just Aliris. I put knives and other small items in it to drip dry; set a colander in it when draining things; and, I'll admit, hang a folded dish cloth over one of the expandable legs so it's handy but rather low-profile.

Love to see all of the ideas! I have a single sink right now and am debating on getting a double sink when we do our reno too. I piggy backed on this post, but apprecitate all of the ideas. I think go with the double and love the idea of the 60/40 for veggies, soaking dishes, etc... Keep the ideas coming!

I, for one, would miss the middle divider a lot! Not only for hanging a strainer but the over the sink cutting board that is so handy for messy jobs and even serves as extra counter space when needed.

I like to have a usable sink/drain/disposal while one is occupado with things waiting to wash.

Those strainers shown look like they are on double or smaller sinks, but maybe they could be used front to back instead of sideways?

Aloha--sorry. I just saw your question.

My sink was a Kohler cast iron. I haven't seen it for sale for several months so I think it was discontinued. It looked similar to this Lakefield, except the left bowl was round, not oblong, and was placed towards the back of the sink leaving what can best be described as cast iron counterspace in front of the round bowl.

I said it was 70/30, but really it was probably more like 90/10 because I'm guessing the shallow, round small side had a diameter of about 10". It was a really cool sink, if it didn't have to serve as both cleanup and prep sink. If I had the space and could get the same shape in silgranit instead of cast iron, I'd have bought it in a heartbeat as my prep sink for the new kitchen.

Your small sink is 10" wide? That's pretty narrow. I'm guessing your larger side is big enough for larger prep work when necessary.