Handmade Kitchen Sinks: Know before you buy it.

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ideas. For years, cooks who appreciated the merits of both single-basin sinks and double-basin models still were forced to choose between them-assuming they didn't have the kitchen space to install two sinks. It wasn't until 2006 that a U.S. sink manufacturer recruited a product designer to come up with an elegant solution.

This solution, called the low-divide or dual-capacity Kitchen Sink, provides two basins but with a center divider that rises only partway to the top of the basins. This may well be the sink for you.

Single-Basin and Double-Basin Sinks

A single-basin sink, as the name indicates, is just one big tub installed within your kitchen counter. It is perfect for washing giant casseroles, turkey pans, baking sheets, as well as for smaller items.

But the lack of a second basin means that there is no reserve of fresh water to rinse items. Also, many homeowners like to locate their dish-drying rack in the second basin to allow for water to drain right into the sink drain. No second basin means no sink space for a dish-drying rack. So, the dryer must be located on the countertop, taking up precious countertop space and sometimes making a watery mess.

Is the solution to have a sink with two basins? Partially. But in a double-basin sink, the individual basins are smaller-often too small to handle those big baking sheets. The washing side of the sink is much smaller than the baking sheet, the drying side may be too small to rack the pan, and the pan may not even fit under the faucet for rinsing. If you're lucky enough to have a hand-held sprayer Kitchen Faucet, you can spray it-but you may end up with water all over your kitchen countertop and the floor.

The other problem with full-rise sink dividers is that it's difficult to fit large pots underneath the faucet: the divider gets in the way.