I love my prep sink!
morton5
15 years ago
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Comments (35)
rhome410
15 years agokelleg69
15 years agoRelated Discussions
How often do you use your prep sink?
Comments (27)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...See MoreMinimum size for prep sink and cleanup sink
Comments (15)It looks like you've gotten lots of good advice on size already, but I'll throw mine in too 13-3/4 X 15-3/4. It works very well for me. If you are going to do a LOT of washing of very large items, I might go bigger, but for standard prep stuff, that's served me well. Two other thought's I'll add about prep sinks since you're in the planning stage. 1)Be careful about the depth (front to back) of sink you choose, if you are installing it on a standard depth counter (i.e. not an island, where depth would not be as big of an issue). I actually had a deeper one originally, but since mine is on a standard depth counter, there was not room for the faucet with the deeper sink - OOPS! - and I had to return it for a smaller one. 2) One thing I wasn't sure about doing but am now REALLY glad I did, was to put a garbage disposal in BOTH my prep as well as my main sink. Prep junk (veggie peels, etc) goes down prep disposal, and clean-up junk (plate scrapings, etc) goes down main disposal. Hope that helps....See Moresize and shape of your prep sink?
Comments (10)What I like best about mine is having one. Period. But I also like that it is large enough to fit a large pot or colander when needed, small enough to give me plenty of space in my island counter and my cabinet underneath. Mine is about 15x15 or 16x16 and seems a good size for me. I would go a little bigger, but not smaller --especially if you are putting and instant hot at the prep sink. Mine has a corner faucet (with pulldown sprayer -- don't forget spraying for rinsing veggies, etc.) with soap dispenser att he opposite corner. An instant hot there too would be a bit cramped, especially if you also have an air switch there....See MorePrep sink - what do you use yours for?
Comments (10)I love my prep sink--and many thanks to the folks here who 'talked me into it' when I hesitated!! I use mine for all prep work--washing veggies, rinsing meat or poultry, washing poultry hands or messy baking hands, and occasionally for washing a dish when the other sink is busy/full. I also use it to drain pasta or other things that have been cooking, or to draw water for cooking them. Most of the things on Rhome's list are also on mine. I like that it's on a corner across from the dishwasher, so if I have prep dishes in there, I can just snatch them up and pop them in the DW. It's also accessible from two sides since it is on the corner. I don't have a garbage disposal on the prep sink, but I do have pop out garbage can under the sink, so I can just toss veggie trimmings or whatever in there. I also have a Tapmaster on that sink, and I highly recommend it--it's great when you have chicken-y or greasy/dough caked hands to be able to turn the water on and off without having to touch anything! My prep sink is big enough to handle a big turkey, wash a cookie sheet, and do whatever the main sink does if I need it to, which is just how I wanted it. I did make a strict rule that dirty dishes do NOT get left in the prep sink by anyone not actually prepping food--that means that it's always clean and ready to go when I need to use it. :-) Hope this helps. Cj...See Moresnowyshasta
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