Go with the stainless grid. We have both kinds of grids (2 sinks); I would love to have a plain stainless steel grid instead of the coated one, but it's not available. The grid that is coated already has a spot where rust is showing, so it's obviously not stainless steel underneath. A hot pan will definitely melt the coating.

A few ideas. 1/ I searched recently for "steam pan" and I came across "steam pan grate" Here are two examples. -- A. GRA-1 Full Size Pan Grate - 18" x 10" x 7/8" $4.15 GRA-2 Half Size Pan Grate - 8" x 9" x 7/8" $2.25 GRA-3 Third Size Pan Grate - 5" x 10 1/8" x 7/8" $1.90 http://www.food-equipment.com/foodpans.htm -- B. Wire Pan Grate, Fits Third Size Steam Table Pan $1.95 JR-5307 Wire Pan Grate, 1/3 size, fits third size steam table pan, 5" X 10-1/4", nickel-chrome plated steel. Welded wire mesh. Heavy duty construction. Wire Pan Grate, Fits Half Size Steam Table Pan $2.25 JR-5308 Wire Pan Grate, 1/2 size, fits half size steam table pan, 8-1/2" X 10-1/4", nickel-chrome plated steel. Welded wire mesh. Heavy duty construction. Wire Pan Grate, Fits Full Size Steam Table Pan $2.95 JR-5309 Wire Pan Grate, full size, fits full size steam table pan, 10" X 18", nickel-chrome plated steel. Welded wire mesh. Heavy duty construction. http://www.akitchen.com/store/steam.html -- C. Steam Table Pan Grate Full Size Item # 441114 $2.72 This one is from Costco.com -- I guess this means we can make money selling grates to homeowners. By calling the grates grids you can prevent homeowners from seeing the competition. Don't share this with anyone else. Let this be our secret. : - ) ------- . 2/ I got two stainless steel "trivets" from Ikea. I put them on the counter on each side of the sink now. They overhang over the edges; it's an undermount sink. They create symmetry and framing. That is the visual effect. I can use them as a landing pad: a wall oven is nearby. I can use them to dry things, the same way you would if you had runnels (grooves) cut into the counter. Initially I used one at the bottom of the sink, as a grid. It was fine. It took some getting used to. The trivet bars are far apart, so things need placement or they do fall through. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30111087 Lamplig . $7 . a steal. ------- . 3/ I put my wall ovens grates in the bottom of the sink yesterday. (... offhand I can't remember now if grate or grid or another term is the right one, for the open shelf in an oven...) They fit perfectly. They are a bit flimsy but nobody is going to put ten pound point objects on them. I left them there. Nobody complained. ------- . 4/ I think ... Grids don't need to cover all the real estate at the bottom of the sink. So idea number one is looking better than ever. Today, this "Full Size Steam Table Pan" selling for $2.95 is looking better than ever. Yesterday I saw grates for $1, and large size ones for less than $2. When I get to a professional restaurant supply store, I'll go look at steam pan grates. hth

My Shaws sink is 10 years old. I had the white grid for about 8 years. Some of the white material starting coming off and it starting rusting in those spots. It did show discoloration. I used bleach about once a month (very dilute) in the sink and that cleaned it up pretty well. I just recently felt it was time to replace the grid and got a new SS one from Amazon. I thought the SS would solve all of the problems. It still gets "gunky" at the intersections. A blackish gunk. So it has to be cleaned frequently as well. The alternative is no grid which is not a good alternative. I didn't have a grid for the first couple years and the bottom of the sink got a few chips. White looks better imho. As far as wear and care...its six of one and half dozen of another.

Also hang on to your hat when you get the pricing as they are 2 to 2.5 times the cost of aluminum. Especially because the inspiration pic shows the 17th century Paris house of legendary French retailer Marie-France Cohen, whose latest retail project is a design and décor store/showroom she runs out of her home. And that's a Napoleon III chair in the photo : ) .