How to choose a kitchen sink

Other than the fridge, what item in your kitchen do you use everyday? The sink is something that we often can overlook when choosing the right elements in a kitchen. It is just as important as the other choices to make when designing a kitchen.

How many basins? And in what configuration?

A large, single sink

Pros: a single deep sink means you can wash bigger pots and pans and prep bigger amounts of food.

Cons: rinsing vegetables while soaking a roasting pan may prove to be difficult. As does fine china and glassware.

These days, if people go with this option they tend to lean towards a deep sink that is 33-36 inches wide and 8-10 inches deep. There are also different selections of accessories like rinse baskets that can fit in the sink itself if you still want to keep things separate in one large sink.

2 sinks of differing sizes (offset or 60/40)

Pros: two sinks allow you to perform different tasks like prepping food and doing dishes. A 60/40 sink has one basin that is usually 18 inches wide and another one that is 14 inches wide. The concept of the 60/40 sink is that you can clean up in the larger one and prep in the smaller one.

Cons: a smaller basin usually proves to be more challenging when trying to wash and soak larger items.

2 sinks of the same size

Pros: this is for people who love symmetrical design. It also has the benefit of allowing separate tasks like washing and prepping.

Cons: larger pans usually sit out on the counter to soak.

Some people are most comfortable with this design as this is the only design they have ever worked in.

3 sinks (2 of equal size and one in the middle for garbage disposal)

Pros: you can use the garbage disposal independently

Cons: in models where the garbage disposal is in the middle you can’t sweep food scraps off the counter easily into the disposal sink. This can be fixed by a cutting board insert. Because it is a wider sink more space is needed on the counter.

There are also many types of materials the sink can be made from. Porcelain, natural stone, stainless steel, granite and many more. Take some time to visit a show room so you can see how they look in a kitchen configuration.