The Best Dish Towels to Use in the Kitchen

Kitchen towels are more than just decorative pieces of cloth to hang on your oven door. You can use them to dry dishes, glassware, and even your hands. They can also be used to sweep crumbs off your countertop, mop up spills, and stand in for an oven mitt or trivet if needed. When shopping for kitchen towels, a cute design or color that matches your décor is only one of many key considerations. For Belinda Wei, co-owner and chef of Dear Bella Creamery in Los Angeles, California, good absorption, tight threading, and thickness of fabric are the most important qualities she considers when choosing kitchen towels. "Microfiber has the best level of absorption," she says, adding that she keeps several types of kitchen towels on hand for different purposes. "I have reusable 'paper' towels made of bamboo for light spills," she says. "When I'm cooking, I prefer a terry cotton cloth as a thick multipurpose towel for cleaning as I go, holding hot handles, drying tools, wiping hands, and securing my cutting board."

When it comes to wiping up spills and wet surfaces (your sink, stovetop, and even a cutting board), microfiber is king. "I find microfiber cloths work best for quick clean-ups," Rachel Diaz Pirard, co-owner and pastry chef of Casa Ora in Brooklyn, New York, says. "They absorb a lot of liquid and wring out easily for an almost immediately dry towel. Rinse them off in the sink, and you can use them over and over again. They also air dry much quicker, which makes them less prone to bacteria growth."

Shopping for your own absorbent kitchen towels? Consider our picks.