A Buyer's Guide to Kitchen Sinks

Undermount gives a clean sweep from worktop into bowl and is the easiest to wipe into. Inset is cheaper and works with any worktop. Integrated, where the bowl is the same material as the top, is the most seamless and the most expensive.

Stainless is practically indestructible and shows water marks. Granite composite hides marks well and is quieter, though lighter colours can stain over years of turmeric and coffee. Ceramic looks superb and will chip a dropped glass and sometimes itself.

A single large bowl takes a wok, which a divided sink often cannot. If you want a second bowl, a one-and-a-half configuration usually serves better than two equal bowls in a domestic Thai kitchen.

Check for underside sound-deadening pads, a waste position offset to the rear so plumbing does not eat the cupboard below, and whether accessories such as the colander and chopping board actually fit the bowl you chose.