In our recent remodel, we put in a double sink with one large side and one small side, but they are divided by a wall that is just a few inches high. You can wash big pans and trays easily like you can with one large sink, but you can also use one side for rinsing while another side is used for washing hands or peeling vegetables. Or dirty items can go in one side while you are still using the other. We removed a second smaller sink in the island so we could have an uninterrupted island top, and have never missed having two. Unless your kitchen is enormous and it's too difficult to get from one side to the other to use a sink, I think a second one is just an extra thing to keep clean.

By two sinks, do you mean a double bowl sink or actually having 2 different sinks, like a prep sink and a cleaning sink?

I have a 50/50 double bowl sink and I wash in one and rinse in the other. My garbage disposal is in the rinsing side so my DH can wash and my kids can clear at the same time. I cook, they clean!!! My sinks are each 14" wide X 16" from front to back and 8" deep. I don't have trouble washing big items. And, unlike a lot of people, I prefer my pots, pans, good knives, and plastic ware be hand washed.

In our kitchen we have 2 back to back sinks on our island because we cook together almost all the time and I have a small catering biz I run from my kitchen I find them very useful my husband does prep on the side with the fridge and I cook on the side with the range the DW is on the fridge side

we have a full double sinks as well as double drainers totalling 1500mm wide and use the whole space all the time, one sink and drainer closer to the stove for food prep and the waste disposal and the other side mostly for rinsing dishes, washing hands, filling the kettle and or a glass while the other sink is full of hot water...we stand the cups on the sink for making a cuppa, the bread board for making a sandwich and a separate chopping board for cutting meat and veges: so convenient for instant clean up of hands and equipment. The sinks are an essential part of our food preparation routine and the double allow two people to comfortably work in tandem and i would have difficulty working in a kitchen with less

The use of sinks is about correct zoning for the tasks, and overall work order flow. One sink can serve both prep and cleanup tasks, if it's properly sited, and the zone tasks are not mixed. Like no DW located smack dab in your prep zone. But, access to water, for washing hands, or utensils, or vegetables, is the most limiting to a kitchen's functionality for more than one helper.

Splitting up the prep and cleanup functions and including that second source of water, more than doubles the efficiency of a kitchen. Sited correctly, a secondary sink can allow quadruped the number of kitchen helpers to work in the room without stumbling over each other.

And never say never about being ''the only'' cook in a kitchen. Kids grow up. Spouses retire. And the the production of a family meal becomes a family activity.

When designing kitchens it's all about what works best for the person who uses the kitchen and what the space will allow. Two sinks normally means people can have one for washing, the other for rinsing, sometimes people like a smaller side bowl for draining or pouring away so when your main basin is full of dishes you can pour away that cup of tea in the mug you need to wash. For me I favor have one large sink instead so i can fit a grill pan in flat. It is all about what works for you and the way you work.

I have a large double sink and also a small prep sink on my island. Never use the prep sink and wouldn't get one again.

I think it depends on the size and layout of your kitchen. I find my sinks very useful and I definitely use them, daily. I have a triple bowl for dish washing, center is for cutlery. I also have a prep bowl with a large apron and my filtered water faucet, attached. Clean-up sink: During food prep I usually have soapy water in one bowl because I clean as I go. I rinse in the second bowl. Soak roast pans. Wash dirty hands etc.Prep bowl: Strain boiling water out of pasta pots. Lots of company over? then I use it as an ice bucket for whoever's hanging around the kitchen/living room. Defrost food and wash veggies etc.

I have a large kitchen sink and in my island I have a small prep sink. I love having an extra sink...it really comes in handy :)

We use both sinks regularly. My husband never cooks, but still uses a sink to wash his hands, fill dog water bowls, rinse things, etc. Now that we have a baby, the second sink has become a place to soak baby bottles and toys. It's specifically a "clean" area where raw meat never goes. It's probably not necessary, but I would always plan for a 2nd sink in any future house.

I have two sinks, garbage disposals in each sink. My main sink (with the dishwasher next to it) is a large, single basin sink... I love being able to put my large cookware in it. We have 5 teenagers, so yeah, I use large cookware daily. We have been in the middle of a kitchen remodel for almost 6 months now and I just got back my island sink a couple of weeks ago... I missed it SO much! We almost always have multiple people working in the kitchen at the same time. I also made sure my island sink is large enough for my big colander, I hate having to clear the dishes out of the sink in time to drain pasta, so that's another perk of the 2nd sink.
The only downfall that I've found is that somebody always wants to set a dirty dish in the island sink instead of walking a few feet extra to place it in the main sink. I'm still working on that... it hasn't happened YET with my new island and island sink... I warned them that I might go ballistic if it happens. LOL!
(Oh, I like the garbage disposal in both sinks because most of my meal prep happens at the island, but my family still leaves food bits on their plates when they're done and set it in the main sink too.) It's not NEEDED, but it sure has been nice!

I have a large single sink in my cleanup area (along with dishwasher and trash pullout) and a very small sink in my island (directly opposite cooktop) which I use daily, for:

* All vegetable and fruit washing

* Drawing and dumping cooking water (pasta etc.)

* Glasses of water

* Tea (from hot water dispenser)

In fact, I use my little island sink for EVERY water need in kitchen except dishwashing. I love it and would gladly do it again the exact same way. Even when I'm cooking my myself, I really use both. And when there are 2 or more people in the kitchen, the two sinks permit multiple work zones.

My kitchen is not large - just 12' x 18 ' (3.6 x 5.4 m).

The one thing I'd (probably) do differently is put the trash pullout near the prep sink, not the dishwashing sink. The prep area generates a lot more and a lot messier trash than the scraping of dishes in the cleanup area.

(I have garbage disposals in both sinks, because I hate digging the little bits of food out of the trap.)

If you want two separate sinks, just make sure that they both are sized according to how you want to use them. I had a house that that had a 2nd sink, for prepping, and it was so small I couldn't even put a colander in it. Never used it. Recently moved into a house with a 70/30 sink which I didn't think I'd like but I do. Gives me enough room for most large pots and pans and a small sink to throw small stuff in or if I just want a little bit of soapy water.

Thanks for all the comments - all great to consider!!! I have been thinking more about how we as a family will utilize the space, as well as how it will do in a potential re-sell. I had a close family member (and a few posted above similarly) eliminate her second smaller "vegetable cleaning/wet-bar" sink in her island because she rarely used it. The look is cleaner without anything on the island, but I love hearing how others utilize a second sink. Keep suggestions coming! I love to hear how the space is used by different families and it is giving me ideas and inspiration as to how we will live as a family in our kitchen when the kids are older and my husband has more time to pursue his baking and cooking passions.

We had just one double sink for 20years. In our new home we put another sink in he island. I like it so much better. While I'm cooking I can stack dirty bowls etc. in my perimeter farm sink for washing and still use my island prep sink for washing hands, veggies etc. Not to mention the prep sink is right across from my stove top so when I need water for cooking it's a breeze. Most of my cooking and prepping is done between the two islands. The only answer is the one that's right for your situation.

This may sound silly but when i had 2 sinks, one was for me to prepare meals and get messy - and the other was for making friends comfortable. In other words, I used the second sink for drinks, tea, coffee and trimming flower stems and filling vases. So the second sink faced the social area, not the work area. Cabinets adjacent to second sink house beverage related items and flower vases.

Agree that it all depends upon your lifestyle. I eliminated a second sink on the island because I too like the cleaner uninterrupted look, also I use the island for buffet style serving for larger parties. Additionally, I don't allow another cook in the kitchen when I'm cooking ... it drives me crazy ,I'm very organized & a little OCD :)

Though there is a good reason for a trough sink in the island.. LET'S PARTY!!

Why be so practical all the time-lol.. hmmm, maybe this would be very practical for some of us here???