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They say a knife is the extension of a cook’s hand — but for me, it’s the far-less-glamorous kitchen towel. I have a stack of over 20 kitchen towels with at least three at a time in active use: For drying dishes I need to turn around quickly, wiping hands, mopping counters, laying out rinsed produce, patting down wet ingredients, creating grip on the bottoms of bowls as I furiously whisk, keeping prepped ingredients protected from splatter and dust, covering rising dough, and grabbing hot handles from the stove or oven. When they get dirty, I simply throw them in the laundry bin and pull fresh ones from the stack.
My favorite kitchen towels are cheap (the best less-expensive option on this list), the factor that most pros told me was key when I asked them about the ones they keep in rotation in their own kitchens. As such, there are a few options that come in around a dollar per towel, give or take some cents. Other cooks prefer slightly higher-end varieties, also listed below, mostly because they look a bit nicer. But all the options I’ve curated here are durable, super absorbent, machine washable — and I’ve hand-tested quite a few, too. Read on to figure out which will work best for you.
What we’re looking for
Material
All but one of the kitchen towels in this story are made from cotton (the exception is the last decorative pick, which is constructed from recycled materials). This means they — imperatively — wear and wash well. The big differences come down to feel (some have a softer weave, others more textured, some are thinner, and some thicker) which I detail within each caption.
Size
Here, I’ve listed the dimensions of each kitchen towel. While they only vary by a few inches in either direction, it’s a good factor to note, especially if you know you’ll be using them regularly for tasks that would benefit from more fabric, like laying out produce, covering large bowls, or drying lots of dishes in one go.
Best kitchen towels overall
Material: Cotton | Size: 14” x 25”
I first learned about these when I worked at Bon Appétit. They were the kitchen towels of choice among staffers, who taught me that they’re also the kitchen towels of choice in a lot of restaurant kitchens — always a good sign when it comes to durability. Indeed, I used my set for about six years before most finally got stained enough that I was compelled to switch them out with some new Ikea ones below (and in fact, a few stragglers still remain). That’s a pretty great life span when you consider they cost $1.20 a pop currently (and $1.70 when not on sale).
They’re also the preferred towel for recipe developer and food writer Grace Elkus, who says they’re absorbent and don’t ever fray even though she’s constantly throwing them in the wash. “I like that they aren’t super fluffy,” she says (as opposed to the more textured bar towels below). I agree the material is great. In comparison, they’re a bit thicker than the Ikea ones, which is especially nice for leaving produce out to dry and grabbing hot pan handles. “And they’re fine enough looking to keep out,” Elkus says. I’d even go so far as to say they have a very classic-in-a-good-way vibe.
Best less expensive kitchen towels
Material: Cotton | Size: 18” x 24”
I grabbed a ton of these a few years ago when shopping in person at Ikea. (Most of my Zeppoli ones were in fairly dire straits at that point and the price, 79 cents each, was compelling enough that I thought I would give them a shot.) While they’re not quite as thick, I have to say I like the texture even better: a bit softer and therefore more ideal for drying dishes and my hands. They’re still plenty absorbent and if I have something soaking wet like a ton of just-washed kale leaves, I simply double up when laying them out on the counter. They air-dry even faster than the Zeppoli ones, too. And though I keep mine folded in a basket or draped over the oven handle, they have a little attached hook for storing, if that’s how you want to keep them.
Best bar towels
Material: Cotton | Size: 16” x 19”
These standard bar towels come in at $1 each, a similar price point to the two options above. They’re a bit more textured, originally meant for mopping up liquid — but this also makes them extremely absorbent, says Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda. He calls them “high-volume towels” and likes that he can rotate through them without being precious (indeed, most of the time he washes them after just one use). The slightly thicker fabric also allows him to handle hot pans without getting burned. Todd Pulsinelli, chef at the Chloe in New Orleans, who uses these basically identical Choice Cotton Bar Towels both at his restaurant and at home, says the same. One disclaimer: This style of towel will let some lint off the first time or two you use it, so wash first thing and be cautious early on about patting food dry directly.
Best flour sack kitchen towels
Material: Cotton | Size: 20” x 30”
Flour-sack towels are made of cotton like most of the others on this list, but they’re generally thinner and have a slightly looser weave than those not delineated as such (in fact, I would say my Ikea ones are a flour-sack style even though the brand doesn’t explicitly call them that). These Five Two ones are a favorite of Meherwan Irani, owner of Chai Pani in Asheville, North Carolina, and founder of Spicewalla, who says they’re great at absorbing moisture, whether he’s wiping down counters or drying his hands. “I also need my kitchen towels to be lint-free so things wipe off cleanly,” he says, “and flour sack towels leave no trace.” He and chef Camille Becerra (who recommended a different and currently sold-out set of flour-sack towels) say they hang nicely and cleanly, a bonus for something you leave out in the open. It’s also worth noting that these are the largest on this list.
Best colored kitchen towels
Material: Cotton | Size: 21” x 28”
Alexandra Wight, owner and chef of Crown Jewel in Great Diamond Island, Maine, says she’s amazed that in the four years she’s been using these Hawkins New York kitchen towels, they’ve never retained any stains. “They really hold up over time,” she says, “and there’s no fraying either.” She notes that the other biggest plus is how big (close to the dimensions of the Food52 ones above) and plush they are. “You can fold them over once and you really don’t feel any heat through them,” she says. “And they’re great to spread out on the counter and use as a dish drying space. They hold a lot of pieces.”
Best decorative kitchen towels
Material: Recycled polyester, polyamide | Size: 18” x 30”
Elkus keeps some more decorative kitchen towels around in addition to her Zeppolis, mostly to set out when guests come over. Still, she says, they’re not just for show; they function totally well, too. Though she hasn’t put them through as much wear and tear, they’re absorbent enough to dry hands thoroughly and they haven’t worn down at all in the wash. Plus, she says, “they have a pattern for every holiday, every season, whatever look you’re going for. And they always release new collections, too.” She’s not exaggerating: There are over 1,000 different designs to shop from.
More kitchen essentials we’ve written about
Our experts
• Camille Becerra, chef
• Grace Elkus, recipe developer and food writer
• Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda
• Meherwan Irani, owner of Chai Pani and founder of Spicewalla
• Todd Pulsinelli, chef at The Chloe
• Alexandra Wight, owner and chef of Crown Jewel
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