To test the towels, I started by throwing all 11 in the washer and dryer to see how they fared through a clean. I took equal-sized square swaths of each towel and individually dumped them in a bowl of water for 30 seconds—weighing each swath before and after each soak to get a sense for absorbency. I then laid all of them out and let them dry for about three hours and 45 minutes. Editors from the test kitchen like to use kitchen towels in lieu of oven mitts in their work, so I also decided to use each towel on the handle of a hot cast-iron skillet to see how well they worked protecting my hands from heat and to demonstrate the towel’s versatility.
Other kitchen towels I tested
Coyuchi Waffle Cotton Waffle Dish Cloth Kitchen Towel
The Coyuchi towels almost won a top spot, running neck and neck with the Sticky Toffee waffle weave set. They dried in about the same time as the Sticky Toffee towels, and absorbed about the same amount of water. They were a little bigger than the Sticky Toffee towels, which made them slightly more cumbersome as an oven mitt. They still worked well though and the muted colors make them a nice accent in a kitchen. However, a set of six costs over $50, a big bump in price for a small bump in performance. Still, if they work with your budget, these are definitely great towels.
Swedish Wholesale Swedish Dishcloth
Another version of the Swedish dishcloths we loved so much, there was nothing we didn’t love about this set from the Swedish Wholesale Store. They performed about the same as the DII Swedish Dishcloths. They had the same absorbency and dried in the same amount of time. I did have the same problems with their size as I did with the DII Swedish Dishcloths, but the latter looked nicer sitting out on the counter.
Williams Sonoma Classic Stripe Towels
This was another great set of towels. They absorbed a lot of water, about 46 grams. They look classic, feel smooth on the skin, and are a good value. They’ve got a flat weave to them that’s not quite waffle, but lends a bit more texture and thickness than a standard cotton towel. Because they are a bit more substantial than, say, the Zeppoli towels, they worked better as potholders. That said, they didn’t end up very dry after almost four hours, losing them a spot as one of the top picks.
QUILTINA Kitchen Towels 100% Cotton Absorbent Dish Towels Set
While these towels absorbed more water than the Sticky Toffee and Coyuchi towels, they still felt quite wet after three hours and 45 minutes. This was surprising considering how thin they are—if you hold them up to the light, you can see through them. They’re a nice value at $20 for a six piece towel set, but the weave feels rough on the skin and a little cheaply made. They’ll sop up messes nicely, but other better options on this list performed better across the board.
West Elm Waffle Organic Towels
These West Elm waffle weave towels were some of the best looking of the bunch, and they were highly absorbent too. Available in a variety of earth-toned hues, West Elm favors a slightly more embellished waffle weave embroidery that features a small circular crater in the center to bring in an interesting textural element. It absorbed about 51 grams of water, and took a little over three hours and 45 minutes to fully dry. The main problem with the West Elm towels: They’re expensive. You can only buy them individually for $19. Most of the other hand towels on this list come in at least packs of three or four for not much more money.
Utopia Bar Mop
A bar mop is a little different than an average kitchen towel. It is a lot thicker and plusher—almost like a fluffy terry towel. The fluffiness of the Utopia towels makes them more absorbent—they actually felt more like bath towels than kitchen towels. But this also meant they took a lot longer to dry. They worked well as oven mitts and I liked that they came in a large pack of 12 towels, but the slow drying time will make them annoying to use if you have to clean up more than once a day.
All-Clad Dual-Purpose Kitchen Towels:
All-Clad makes a lot of our favorite cookware. But would they make our favorite hand towel too? When All-Clad says “dual-purpose,” it means they’re trying to pack multiple towel types into one, with a cotton side and a terry cloth side. The cotton terry cloth side is meant to make the towel super absorbent, and it did. The All-Clad took on about 75 grams of water. The standard cotton towel side seems like it’s supposed to bring a lightness that would help speed up the drying process, but the high absorbency just didn’t allow for that. This set was the wettest out of the bunch after the allotted drying time
Aunt Martha’s Dish Towels
Ever wanted a seven-pack of cloth towels that are so big they almost look like a pillowcase? No? Well, then Aunt Martha’s dish towels are not for you. They’re 33-inches by 38-inches (though they do also sell sizes in 18-inches by 28-inches, or 28-inches by 28-inches). They feel cheap and lack absorbency, only taking on about 20 grams of water. The excess of fabric of these towels did allow me to fold it over a bunch of times to turn the towel into a mitt, but that large size and lack of absorbency were turn offs. Maybe they could work as napkins or tea towels.
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