The Finest Kitchen Towels of 2023

The phrase “dish towel” is commonly used interchangeably with “kitchen towel,” and for good purpose: they’re really multipurpose. Spend a pair hours cooking, and also you’ll rapidly understand you should use a dish towel for far more than simply drying dinner plates. Within the Severe Eats take a look at kitchen and at house, we use them not only for drying dishes and fingers, however for mopping up spills and grabbing scorching handles—they make wonderful stand-ins for pot holders. 

Selecting the most effective dish towel may be tough: is it worthwhile to spend a small fortune on one thing that’s arguably (albeit quietly) one of the crucial essential instruments in your kitchen? Or do you have to go for a funds purchase, as a result of towels are supposed to be closely used? After all, there’s aesthetics to think about, too: dish towels are saved “out within the open,” on hooks or draped over oven door handles.

There are nice choices for each varieties of cooks, whether or not you need to spend so much on an expensive dish towel that’ll feel and look nice, otherwise you’d favor to save lots of a buck and substitute it with higher frequency. All of it boils right down to how you intend on utilizing it.

To search out the most effective all-around kitchen towel, we examined 17 towels from fashionable and respected manufacturers. We selected a wide range of towel sorts, guaranteeing we included terry material, flour sack, flat weave, and waffle weave choices. The vast majority of our samples have been created from 100% cotton, which is most generally used for dish towels, however we additionally included microfiber, linen, and linen-blended towels.

The Winners, at a Look

These towels look, really feel, and performance like those most well-liked by most cooks in skilled kitchens. They’re sturdy sufficient to take heavy use and thick sufficient to wrap round a scorching pan deal with. In addition they have a stellar absorbency price (141%!), and a really enticing value level. These towels are made to be onerous staff, and though they aren’t as fairly as a few of the different rivals, followers of this type would argue that’s the purpose.

With a weave that’s neither too thick or skinny, this 100% cotton towel excelled in each process and seemed good doing it (it is available in a set of six neutral-adjacent colours). We appreciated its center-located hanging hook and pliability; it made drying delicate glassware simple and environment friendly. Though the worth tag appears excessive, these towels are available in a set of six and are created from natural cotton.

These 100% cotton towels are woven collectively in a flat crosshatch sample that’s each absorbent and pliable. They’re sturdy, sturdy towels that may deal with most kitchen duties. Though they’re not fairly as delicate because the waffle weave varieties, they’re a stable choice—and are available in a formidable quantity of colours.

With a fuzzy terry material weave, Utopia’s bar mop is right for tossing over a spill or mess within the kitchen. Having a stack readily available cuts down on paper towel use, and whereas they’re not the fanciest wanting towels we’ve ever used, that’s the purpose—they’re simple to clean and reuse. Simply toss ‘em within the wash with a splash of bleach and so they’ll be able to go for the subsequent kitchen catastrophe.

We cherished drying our fingers on these luxuriously thick, absorbent hand towels. Though they weren’t our favourite for drying dishes, the design does supply a wise improve over different terry material towels: these are reversible. You should use the plush facet for fingers, then put the essential cotton facet to work for different kitchen duties. Both means, you actually can’t beat the thickness of All-Clad’s towels. 

The Checks

• Absorbency Take a look at: We weighed every towel on a digital scale and recorded the load in grams. After weighing one cup of water (118 grams), we poured the water onto a sheet pan and coated it with a towel. After ready two minutes, we then transferred the towel to the size and recorded the brand new weight. We consulted Gregory Petrics, a Ph.D. in Arithmetic, to give you the calculation [weight after water/weight before water*100-100] to find out the absorbency share of every towel. 
• Drying Time Take a look at: As soon as the towels have been dampened and weighed, we draped each over a wood drying rack, guaranteeing every towel was laid flat with no wrinkles, and didn’t overlap another towel. We checked the towels each quarter-hour to evaluate for dryness; we recorded the period of time it took for every towel to really feel dry to the contact. 
• Maneuverability (Ease of Use) Take a look at: As soon as all of the towels have been solely dry, we evaluated how simple they have been to make use of as dish drying towels. For every towel, we washed two wine glasses. After rinsing them, we set them upside-down in a drying rack for 30 seconds to take away extra moisture. Then we dried each glasses utilizing the towel. Right here, we took notice of thickness, pliability, and whether or not the towel left behind any streaks or lint on the glass.
• Staining and Cleansing Take a look at: We examined the towels’ ease of care by smearing 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and 1 tablespoon of ketchup on every towel. After ready one hour, we washed the towels in line with their particular producer’s directions. We then inspected every towel for indicators of staining, in addition to shrinking, fraying, wrinkling, and normal sturdiness after one wash/dry cycle.
• Normal Use Take a look at: After finishing the above exams, we selected seven standouts for our ultimate take a look at. We used every successful towel for one week in our kitchen, placing it by way of a rigorous number of duties: we dried dishes and fingers, used it to deal with scorching cookware, wiped spills and messes, and hung it on each wall-mounted hooks and oven door handles. After one week, we washed it once more in line with the producer’s directions and took notes on texture, thickness, versatility, sturdiness, and ease of care.

What We Discovered

The Finest Kitchen Towels Had been Multipurpose

One of the best towels have been constantly helpful at a wide range of duties: drying fingers, drying dishes, mopping spills, serving as a potholder or oven mitt, and even performing as cleansing rags. Towels that carry out brilliantly in a single or two classes weren’t adequate to face as much as the true multipurpose workhorses. To decide on a towel that may do all of it, search for thick (however not plush) cotton, a versatile texture that may be maneuvered round tight areas, and a value level low sufficient to justify shopping for multiple.

Dimension Mattered: Greater Was Not Higher

If we have been utilizing kitchen towels completely to dry our fingers, we’d be all for the XXL sizes. However the bigger towels—accounting for each dimensions and thickness—have been awkward to make use of for many duties. Drying a fragile wine glass with a big, thick towel was a nerve-wracking expertise, and we discovered that very giant towels weren’t excellent for utilizing round open flame (for apparent causes)!

Hanging Loops Had been Good to Have

Not all towels we examined had cloth loops for hanging the towel. Though this wasn’t a deal breaker—you may all the time drape it over a hook or your oven door deal with—a dangling loop was appreciated, particularly in kitchens the place a number of towels are in use at any given time. We docked factors for hanging loops that have been too thick to be simply used, and gave commendations for loops located within the middle of the lengthy fringe of a towel, reasonably than in a nook. (Nook loops require the towels to dangle awkwardly lengthy, probably grazing the countertop or workspace.)

Save the Terry Material for Hand Towels

Terry material, a weave created from thick, looped cotton, is commonly utilized in tub towels, because of its plush feeling and spectacular capability to “drink in” numerous water. It’s comprehensible to imagine they’d make nice kitchen towels for these causes. However our testing revealed they do just one factor—dry fingers—very effectively. They’re not nice at drying dishes, as a result of the looped weave leaves behind numerous fibers, particularly on glassware. They’re additionally gradual to dry when saturated: in our dry take a look at, the All Clad Reversible Towel, which has a terry material weave on one facet, took six hours and half-hour (the longest of any towel) to really feel dry to the contact. We additionally discovered their thickness to be a detractor in lots of duties. These hefty towels struggled to slip in between slender pot lid handles and felt clumsy when used rather than an oven mitt. 

That mentioned, terry material towels are stellar at drying fingers rapidly and utterly. For those who favor to maintain separate towels for dishes and fingers, it’s value contemplating a terry material towel or two for every time your fingers are moist.

Waffle Weave Towels Had been a Nice Selection, Relying on the Depth of the Weave

The towels that had fibers woven collectively in a waffle-like sample have been prime performers within the absorbency, maneuverability, and normal use exams. The waffle sample makes these towels very versatile and malleable, which implies they excel at defending fingers round scorching cookware and drying dishes. 

The waffle weave towels we examined have been both 100% cotton or a cotton-linen mix, though you may as well discover 100% linen towels. Overwhelmingly, we most well-liked the 100% cotton towels, attributable to their cheaper price level. Linen fibers, whereas extra sturdy and fewer liable to pilling over time, develop into crinkled and accordion-like across the edges, which reduces their usability—except ironed.

A waffled towel may be deep or shallow, which is represented by how raised the sides of every particular person weave is. Though deep, free weaves really feel luxurious and drink up numerous moisture—and so they are usually costlier, which made us hesitant to make use of them for messy kitchen jobs. These have been additionally extra liable to slight unraveling and fraying on the edges and throughout the uncovered fibers. Considered one of our favorites, from Coyuchi, had a brief, tight weave that felt simple to regulate, and stood up effectively to 2 cycles of washing and drying.

Flour Sack-Model Towels Had been Too Skinny to Be Really Helpful

Flour sack towels—typically known as tea towels—have been as soon as created from precise flour sacks. Now, they’re merely tremendous skinny, light-weight cotton. Though they dry rapidly when moist, they’re too flimsy to be helpful as a makeshift pot holder.

When are they good to have round? Owing to their no-shed texture, they’re tremendous at sprucing glassware. Embroidered or sample choices generally is a good “only for decor” choice, too. 

It’s Not Value Shopping for a Very Costly Towel

It’s tempting to splurge on a beautiful towel. In any case, they’re decor-adjacent instruments. However for many cooks, it’s a greater funding to purchase towels in a pack, spending much less per towel. It’s value noting too {that a} excessive value level doesn’t robotically translate to a greater towel. The most costly towel we examined, the Weston Table Laguna Towel, wasn’t as absorbent as our prime picks, and didn’t arise effectively to being laundered. Our total favourite, from Zeppoli, are available in a pack of 15 and price simply $1.73 per towel. Your funds will decide what defines an “costly” towel, however, typically talking, we’d advocate not spending greater than $10 per towel.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Kitchen Towel

One of the best dish towels are multipurpose towels that can be utilized for extra than simply drying dishes. Search for towels with a powerful, tight weave that may stand as much as scorching cookware, in addition to deal with a wash/dry cycle with none fuss (though some shrinking is unavoidable in nearly all towels). Cotton is favored over linen for its extra inexpensive value level, and resistance to rumpling across the edges. Low-pile threads are excellent as a result of they depart behind minimal lint, and make for a extra maneuverable towel. If aesthetics are essential in your kitchen, select coloured and patterned towels which might conceal stains. Lastly, don’t lay our a fortune on any dish towel: the pricier it’s, the much less possible you might be to really use it.

What we favored: Towels on this type are often known as “facet towels” in skilled kitchens. They’re coveted (and typically hoarded) amongst cooks for good purpose: they’re extremely helpful for a number of jobs. They’re a terrific alternative for mopping spills in lieu of paper towels; in our absorbency take a look at, they soaked up 141% of their weight in water. They didn’t depart any lint when used as a dish-drying towel. Better of all, we favored their comparatively petite dimension, which wasn’t unwieldy, and lent itself effectively to make use of as a makeshift potholder. These towels are among the many least costly we examined and are available in a big pack.

What we didn’t like: These towels are surprisingly thirsty, and do develop into saturated simply. With drying occasions that may attain hours (throughout our take a look at, it took 5 hours to really feel absolutely dry), you’ll must have a bunch readily available whereas cooking. They stain simply, and have a thinner weave than our different prime choose, which implies they should get replaced with higher regularity.

Worth at time of publish: $19.

Key Specs

• Materials: 100% cotton
• Dimensions: 14 x 25 inches
• Care directions: Machine wash heat; tumble dry low
• Hanging hook: No

What we favored: This towel hit all of the marks. It’s made with a low-profile waffle weave for max flexibility and maneuverability. It has a powerful hem round all sides, which helps it resist warping and turning into misshapen when washed and dried. The generously-sized hanging loop is affixed to the middle of a facet, which makes it simple to hold and preserve out of the best way when not in use. It dried comparatively rapidly when moist (three hours and 45 minutes), and hid stains effectively, because of its waffled sample and neutral-ish coloration. It additionally appears to be like good and is created from natural cotton.

What we didn’t like: It’s on the costly facet, with every towel costing near $10. There was appreciable shrinking when washed (three and 4 inches from both facet). We have been barely hesitant to make use of it for soiled or messy duties, to maintain the aesthetics intact. 

Worth at time of publish: $58.

Key Specs

• Materials: 100% natural cotton
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
• Care directions: Machine wash chilly on light cycle, non-chlorine bleach; tumble dry low or line dry; cool iron as wanted
• Hanging hook: Sure

What we favored: These towels are easy and, because the title suggests, really basic. They’ll seamlessly merge into nearly any kitchen’s design type, and so they’re hardworking towels we don’t really feel now we have to child or shield from messes. Though some towels with a flatter weave are likely to lag within the absorbency division, the crosshatch stitching right here meant these towels might deal with liquids, whether or not it was drying dishes or mopping up a spill. Selecting a coloration is enjoyable, too—Williams Sonoma at the moment has a handful of springy hues on supply.

What we didn’t like: In our absorbency exams, it couldn’t examine to the spectacular efficiency of the terry material varieties — but it surely did dry faster. The feel is just a little tough, and never fairly as pliable because the Coyuchi. The hanging hook is hooked up to a nook of the towel.

Worth at time of publish: $22, relying on coloration.

Key Specs

• Materials: 100% cotton
• Dimensions: 20 x 30 inches
• Care directions: Machine wash heat, non-chlorine bleach; tumble dry; heat iron as wanted
• Hanging hook: Sure

What we favored: These towels are extremely absorbent (with an absorbency price of 160%). They’re good for utilizing as an alternative of paper towels, and so they’re made to be tossed round—no must preserve them in pristine situation. They arrive in a set of a dozen and are a fundamental, white coloration (except you go for a distinct hue), and have a “no fuss” vibe that may be brightened with bleach.

What we didn’t like: The looped fibers are comparatively free, and gained’t final eternally. When saturated, this towel is heavy and takes a very long time to air-dry. If used to dry dishes, it is going to depart behind lint.

Worth at time of publish: $18.

Key Specs

• Materials: 100% cotton
• Dimensions: 16 x 19 inches
• Care directions: Use chilly water, bleach secure, wash individually from darkish colours; dry instantly
• Hanging hook: No

What we favored: These towels are implausible for drying fingers. They’re delicate and thick, and absorb numerous water. They’re good stand-ins for pot holders when maneuvering sheet pans out and in of the oven. All-Clad’s towels have been a powerful competitor in our staining and cleansing exams, main us to imagine these sturdy towels will final for years.

What we didn’t like: They’re thick to a fault when confronted with sure duties. We have been hesitant to make use of them for drying the bowl and stem of delicate glassware, and so they have been a decent squeeze into slender lid handles. At $10 a towel, they’re on the prime vary of costly.

Worth at time of publish: $30.

Key Specs

• Materials: 100% cotton
• Dimensions: 17 x 30 inches
• Care directions: Machine wash heat, non-chlorine bleach; tumble dry; heat iron as wanted
• Hanging hook: No

The Competitors

• Sur La Table Washed Waffle Kitchen Towels: We favored this thick and delicate towel—and appreciated its sturdy hanging hook—however its weave was loosely threaded, and began to point out indicators of damage after two washes.
• Williams Sonoma All Purpose Pantry Towels: Williams Sonoma’s All Objective Towels are a mean performer with out a lot to hate…or love. They’re a bit rougher than a few of our different picks, and only a bit too thick to be our go-to for drying delicate dishes.
• All-Clad Textiles Kitchen Towels: A good terry material choice for drying fingers, this towel is reasonably priced and fairly absorbent. However it left behind numerous lint on glassware, and started to look matted after only one wash.
• Zeppoli Flour Sack Towels: Though this was our favourite among the many flour sack choices, it doesn’t lend itself to make use of as a pot holder, which nixed it early from additional rounds of testing.
• Weston Table Laguna Kitchen Towel: This 100% linen towel is a looker, however at $24 per single towel, we have been hesitant to carry it close to something that would stain, tear, burn, or fray it. It’s well-made and fairly, and would work greatest as an ornamental or “fingers solely” towel.
• Utopia Towels Dish Towels: At first blush, these look nearly indistinguishable from the Zeppoli Basic Kitchen Towels, our winners. However the Utopia towels have been much less absorbent, and had a stiffer, rougher texture.
• Now Designs Flour Sack Kitchen Dish Towels: This set of three towels earned smiles for its cheery colours, however the towels have been low-performers in each take a look at. They’re so skinny, they’re really see-through—a top quality that stopped us from testing them as pot holders for decent cookware.
• Aunt Martha’s Flour Sack Dish Towels: Though Amazon reviewers love these as a clean canvas for embroidery, we struggled to search out their usefulness within the kitchen. They’re supersized to a fault, and lots of in our package deal had odd dimensions. They’re additionally not as absorbent as our different flour sack take a look at topics.
• Hyer Kitchen Microfiber Kitchen Dish Towels: We love a towel that leaves no hint (these don’t deposit any lint), however these aren’t nice multitaskers, owing to their distinctive texture and skinny composition. We’d preserve a stack shut by for cleansing and sprucing the kitchen, although.
• Hawkins New York Essential Dish Towel Set: Arms down (and dry), these $14-per towel choices smoked the competitors within the “appears to be like” class. However their XL size made them awkward to make use of for many duties, and we have been reluctant to make use of them for messier duties.
• Magic Linen Waffle Kitchen Towel: Though we loved the luxurious really feel of this linen-cotton blended towel and its deep, thirsty waffle weave, its $18-per-towel price ticket made it impractical for on a regular basis use.
• Five Two Utility Towels: These easy cotton towels have been decently absorbent and nearly as versatile because the Zeppoli Basic, our prime choose. Nevertheless, at over $15 extra per towel (on the time of testing), it was onerous to justify the splurge.

FAQs

What’s the distinction between dish towels and tea towels? 

Tea towels are skinny, versatile towels created from cotton or linen—they’re typically known as flour sack towels, and infrequently printed or embroidered with designs or patterns. Though you should use tea towels for dish towels, they’re much less versatile, and infrequently used as ornament. They’re, we’ll add, fairly nice at drying glassware, attributable to their lack of lint. (The phrase “tea towel” has its origins in excessive society; these towels have been used to insulate teapots and preserve baskets of scones heat).

What are bar mops?

Bar mops are plush, terry cloth-style towels made with high-pile looped cotton. They’re thirsty and absorbent, making them excellent for mopping up spills on moist surfaces. However they develop into rapidly saturated, which makes them removed from excellent to be used as pot holders. In addition they depart behind numerous lint when used as a dish drying towel.

What’s a facet towel? 

A facet towel is restaurant lingo for a fundamental, low-cost dish towel that can be utilized for a wide range of kitchen duties. Our prime choose on this overview, the Zeppoli Basic Kitchen Towels, are thought-about a facet towel.

What’s one of the best ways to clean dish towels? 

Past “in line with producer directions,” you imply? Jokes apart, dish towels ought to be washed in chilly water and tumble-dried on the bottom warmth setting to keep away from shrinking. All cotton and linen towels will shrink as much as 4 inches after the primary wash/dry cycle, though when you’re involved about that, you may hang-dry them to attenuate floor space loss. In case your kitchen towels get stained, deal with them instantly with a stain remover and wash on chilly. If the stain stays, attempt treating and washing once more earlier than placing within the dryer; warmth will “set” the stain. Most producers notice that if bleach is used, it ought to be the non-chlorine kind.

Are kitchen towels and dish cloths the identical? 

Linguistically, sure. Though dish towels are also known as kitchen towels and vice-versa, there’s one occasion the place we wouldn’t swap them out. Terry material towels are greatest reserved for drying fingers, as a result of they depart behind lint when used for drying dishes (particularly on glassware).

Which materials is greatest for a dish towel?

Our exams revealed that cotton was preferable for dish towels, owing to its excessive absorbency price, low price, and suppleness. Linen is a wonderful choice as effectively, though it’s costlier and liable to wrinkling and rumpling within the dryer. Though microfiber doesn’t depart behind lint, it’s not excellent for drying fingers or swapping in as a pot holder.