To test the towels, we first threw all 11 into the washer and dryer to see how well they would clean. We cut each towel into equal-sized squares and soaked each one in a bowl of water for 30 seconds, weighing them before and after soaking to see how absorbent they were. We then laid them all out side by side and left them to dry for about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Our Test Kitchen editors like to use kitchen towels instead of oven mitts at work, so we decided to hold each towel against the handles of a hot cast-iron skillet to see how well they protected our hands from the heat and how versatile the towels were.
Other Kitchen Towels I Tested
Coyuchi Waffle Cotton Waffle Dish Cloth Kitchen Towel
The Coyuchi towels held their own against the Sticky Toffee waffle weave set and nearly took the top spot. They took about the same amount of time to dry as the Sticky Toffee towels, and absorbed about the same amount of water. They are a little larger than the Sticky Toffee towels, making them a little trickier to use as oven mitts. Still, they are easy to use, and the muted colors make a nice addition to your kitchen. At over $50 for a set of six, they are quite pricey for the slightly improved performance. Still, if they fit your budget, they are definitely great towels.
Swedish wholesale dish towels
Another version of the Swedish Dishcloths that we loved so much. There was nothing not to like about this set from Swedish Wholesale. They performed nearly identically to the DII Swedish Dishcloths. They were just as absorbent and took the same amount of time to dry. Like the DII Swedish Dishcloths, we had some issues with the size, but the latter looked nicer on the counter.
Williams Sonoma Classic Stripe Towel
This is another great set of towels. They absorbed about 1.5 oz (46 g) of water. They have a classic look, a smooth feel, and are a great value. They're a flat weave, not a waffle weave, but they have more texture and thickness than your average cotton towel. They're a bit firmer than, say, Zeppoli towels, so they're great for using as potholders. That said, they weren't very dry after nearly four hours, which knocks them off of being one of our top picks.
QUILTINA Kitchen Towel 100% Cotton Absorbent Dish Towel Set
These towels absorbed more water than the Sticky Toffee and Coyuchi towels, but were still quite wet after 3 hours and 45 minutes, which is surprising considering how thin the towels are; you can see through them when you hold them up to the light. At $20 for a set of six, they're a good deal, but the weave is rough to the touch and they feel a bit cheaply made. They pick up stains well, but other better options on this list performed better overall.
West Elm Waffle Organic Towel
West Elm's waffle weave towels are the best looking of the bunch and are also extremely absorbent. Available in a variety of earth tones, West Elm favors a slightly decorative waffle weave embroidery with a small circular indentation in the center that brings an interesting textural element. This towel absorbed about 51 grams of water and took just over three hours and 45 minutes to dry completely. The main problem with West Elm towels is their high price tag; you can only buy them for $19 each. Most of the other hand towels on this list are sold in three- or four-packs, which aren't as expensive.
Utopia Bar Mop
Bar mops are a bit different to your average kitchen towel. They're quite thick, almost like a fluffy terry towel. The Utopia towels are fluffy, so they're very absorbent and feel more like a bath towel than a kitchen towel. However, this also means they take a lot longer to dry. They also work well as oven mitts, and I like that they come in a large pack of 12, but their slow drying time can make them tricky to use if you have to clean multiple times a day.
All-Clad Dual-Purpose Kitchen Towels:
All-Clad makes many of our favorite cookware items. But do they also make our favorite hand towels? When All-Clad says “dual purpose,” they mean they're trying to combine multiple types of towels in one: a cotton side and a terrycloth side. The cotton terrycloth side is meant to make the towels super absorbent, and it did. The All-Clad absorbed about 75 grams of water. The standard cotton towel side is supposed to provide a lightness that helps speed up drying, but it was too absorbent to do that. This set was the wettest of the set after the specified drying time.
Aunt Martha's Dish Towels
Have you ever wanted a set of seven cloth towels so big they look like pillowcases? Haven't you? Then the Aunt Martha dish towels aren't for you. They measure 33″ x 38″ (they're also available in 18″ x 28″ and 28″ x 28″ sizes). They're cheap, not absorbent, and only soak up about 20 grams of water. The towels have a lot of fabric, so you can fold them over and over to make washing mitts, but they're big and not very absorbent. Maybe they could be used as napkins or tea towels.
