What is the least-used baking pan in your kitchen? For some of us, it might be our muffin/cupcake pans. I only use mine a couple of times a year. If you use yours more frequently or are considering buying one, this Cooking Tip about cupcake/muffin pans is for you.

Do you call these pans cupcake pans or muffin pans? Either name is fine. They both mean the same thing. What you bake in them, though, cupcakes or muffins, is slightly different. See this Cooking Tip for an explanation: Is It a Muffin or a Cupcake?

What should you look for in a good muffin pan?

Material—These pans can be made of different materials. The highest-rated ones are made of aluminized steel. They are not only sturdy, but this material heats well and evenly.

Many home cooks tend to look at silicone pans, but these are not highly rated. First, they are flimsy, and unless placed on a sheet pan, it is tough to maneuver them in/out of the oven or to rotate them in the oven. They also do not conduct heat in the same way as aluminized steel. Serious Eats found that baked goods came out pale and underdone in silicone pans. They also did not like using a baking sheet for a couple of reasons. First, you are using an extra pan that will need to be washed. Also, they found that the muffins browned too much on the bottom where the silicone was setting on the metal.

Rim—Chefs prefer that these pans have a wide rim, at least one inch, that allows you to grab them without putting your oven mitt into the batter.

Color—Very dark pans tend to produce overly dark baked goods and can also lead to misshapen muffins. As these pans conduct heat more quickly, the sides of the baked good set faster than the rest of the item. This can lead to more of a conical or spherical shape rather than a nice muffin shape.

The new trend towards gold or bronze pans, though, earns high marks for even baking. Both light and medium-colored tins produce more appealing and even shapes.

Pan Size

Regular or standard muffin pans have 12 cavities in which you place your batter. The cups will vary in size in different brands but are usually about 2” X 1.25”.

There are also 6 cavity ones, but you need to be careful about what you buy. Some will have a similar cup size as a standard 12-cup pan, but they will often have larger cavities than the standard pan. Bakers use these larger ones for cinnamon rolls, popovers or oversized muffins. One nice thing about a smaller-sized pan is that it is easier to put into a toaster oven.

You can also buy mini muffin pans, which usually have 24 cavities. Each cavity is about 1” X 1.25”. You can also purchase mini muffin pans with only 12 cups. I have two of those.

Cavity size—If you have a muffin tin with cavities that are too large, it will lead to squat and unattractive muffins or cupcakes. Cavities that were narrower at the base than the top were more likely to result in the classic muffin shape with a bit of spilling over the top. With mini muffin pans, try to get one with at least an inch between cavities. Less than this and you might end up with fused muffins.

Coating—Many good muffin pans have a nonstick coating. This coating makes it easy to remove the baked item and leads to easier clean-up.

Tips on using a muffin/cupcake pan

Brands—Two brands consistently rose to the top of the ranking: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch nonstick pans and USA nonstick pans. Some also highly rated the OXO version. If price were not an issue, most testers would have preferred Williams Sonoma. However, they are also the most expensive of these pans.

• Only fill the cavities about ⅔ (no more than ¾) full.
• Wipe off any spills from the surface before baking. It will be much easier to clean than after it has baked on.
• If using the mini-muffin size, avoid large add-ins such as fresh fruit. The muffins are not large enough to accommodate this. On the other hand, add-ins that you can chop to a small size, such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, and nuts, are fine. Items that can be swirled in, such as Nutella or jam, are also good options. Since you still want loads of flavor in these small bites, add flavor punches such as citrus zest or amp up the spices.
• Choosing a pan with a nonstick coating makes removing from the pan easier. For extra protection, using baking liners can be helpful. Even with the nonstick coating and even if you use baking liners, most pros still apply a nonstick spray. If you have ever wondered about the different types of baking liners, see this Cooking Tip: Cupcake Pan Liners.
• Converting recipes
  • Many wonder if they can take a recipe meant for a standard-sized pan and use it in a mini muffin-sized pan. Yes, but you do need to take some precautions. The most obvious is that you will use less batter in the mini-sized pan. Most standard-sized pans hold about ¼ cup of batter, whereas mini pans use only 1 to 1½ tablespoons in each cavity. You will need to do a bit of trial and error to get the best result.
  • On average, you will get between 32 & 48 mini muffins from a recipe that gives you 12 regular size muffins.
  • Bake at the same temperature, but the smaller items will take less time to bake. Be sure to check their progress before the time indicated on the recipe.
• If you are only baking a partial batch of muffins or cupcakes, some will tell you to fill the empty cups with water to ensure a better result. Cook’s Illustrated tested this practice and found that it did not matter if you left the cups empty.
• In addition to the typical muffin or cupcake, these pans can also be used for single-serve frittatas or quiches, single-serve meatloaves, and stuffed tomatoes or peppers.
• Alternatives to a muffin pan – Here are some alternatives if you do not have a muffin pan.
  • Place mason jar rings on a baking sheet and put liners in them. Pour the batter in and bake as usual.
  • Use foil cupcake liners or double or triple up on paper liners. These will now stand on their own on a baking sheet, but the end shape might not be as pretty as if you had used a muffin pan.
  • Parchment – Cut parchment into 5-6 inch squares. Place over the holes in the muffin tin. Press down into the cavity with a small glass. You may also want to use your hands to form the parchment around the glass. If you make them double-layered, they might stand on their own.

If you already own a muffin pan, I hope these tips will help you succeed in making your muffins or cupcakes. If you are in the market for a new one or wish to gift one to someone, remember these recommendations to get the best pan you can.

Happy Baking!

Do you own a crock pot? How about a slow cooker? Wait – aren’t they the same thing? That is just one of the facts we will explore in this Cooking Tip on Slow Cookers.

First, what about that name? A slow cooker is a small kitchen appliance. There are many brands, and Crock Pot is just one of them. It is the brand, though, that first popularized this appliance when it brought out its version in the 1970s. Today, there are a myriad of different brands.

I must admit that I rarely use my slow cooker. There are others who probably use theirs every week, but most others undoubtedly fall in the middle in terms of frequency of usage. Let’s look at the types, why people like them, and how to use them to get the best results.

Types of Slow Cookers

Traditional—The cooking vessel is ceramic, and it heats due to a heating element strip made of nickel and chromium that wraps around it.

• Pros
  • They are thick and have excellent heat retention.
  • They absorb and transmit heat gradually.
• Cons
  • They are heavy and can crack if dropped.
  • You cannot sauté in the crock. Instead, you must brown the meat in a skillet and transfer it to the cooker.

Other models – The cooking vessel is usually a nonstick-coated metal, usually aluminum. It sits on an electric heating element in the base, acting like a burner.

• Pros
  • They are lightweight and durable.
  • They allow you to sauté and brown food in the crock rather than in a separate skillet.
  • They cook much faster than ceramic models.
• Cons
  • Because they cook faster, your food can overcook if you are not paying attention.
  • Most recipes are developed for ceramic cookers; therefore, the time given in the recipe may be too long.

Benefits of a Slow Cooker

Convenience

• This is the most common reason I hear for using a slow cooker: Just throw the ingredients in, turn it on and forget (or almost forget) it. At the end, voila, you have dinner. While much of this is true, there are certainly some precautions to take to ensure that dinner is something you wish to eat, which I will discuss.
• Using a slow cooker frees up your oven and stovetop for other dishes, making it nice for the holidays or large gatherings.

Heat

• Because you are not turning on the oven, you are not heating the house.

Energy efficiency

• It uses very little energy, less than your cooktop or oven would use

Tenderizing

• One of the great advantages of a slow cooker is that you can take tough (often cheaper) cuts of meat and turn them into tender mouthfuls.

Flavor

• The extended cooking time can allow better distribution of flavors.

Travel

• A slow cooker can be taken from your kitchen to the office or a party.

How best to use your slow cooker

• Slow cookers are great for tougher cuts of meat, which are often less expensive. In fact, you do not want to use leaner cuts of meat, such as chicken breasts or pork tenderloin. If the meat is lean, it tends to get tough and stringy with the prolonged cooking. Using fattier and tougher cuts, including chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulder and lamb shank, is better. Whereas chicken breasts do not turn out ideal in a slow cooker, dark meat chicken is a good choice.
• Trim the fat from the meat before cooking. As the meat cooks, it will release fat. If you are cooking stovetop, you can drain it off. This is not possible with a slow cooker. This can result in the cooking liquid becoming oily and greasy. For this same reason, most also recommend removing the skin from the chicken before cooking.
• For the most flavor, sear your meat first in a skillet. Some slow cooker models allow for searing in the cooking vessel, thus eliminating the need for a separate skillet.
• Cut the food into uniform sizes for even cooking and avoid over-crowding.
• Layer the food properly. Put firm slow-cooking root veggies at the bottom and then the meat on top. If you want your veggies to have crunch, you may add them later in the cooking process.
• Do not take the lid off until the dish is done. When you open the lid, heat is lost and takes time to recover. It can add 15-20 minutes to the cooking time. Also, the lid is very important in initially bringing the cooker up to a suitable temperature.
• Fresh veggies are better to use than canned or frozen as the latter can cook too quickly.
• To keep the freshness, wait to add delicate herbs until the end. Similarly, add your acid, such as citrus, at the end.
• Tender foods such as pasta, squash, asparagus or peas should be added in the last hour of cooking.
• Seafood such as shrimp, scallops, and fish should be added in the last 15-30 minutes of cooking.
• Add any dairy at the last minute to prevent curdling.
• Submerge the food in liquid while cooking. For increased flavor, use broth instead of water.
• Although some do not agree, it is generally recommended that ground beef be cooked and drained of fat before adding to the vessel. With ground beef, it is also possible that it won’t cook evenly and thoroughly, leading to the risk of undercooked beef or being in the danger zone (40°F–140°F) for too long.
• Because the cooking vessels take some time to heat up, some recommend preheating for about 10 minutes before adding the food.

Safety Advice

• To remove food from the danger zone more quickly, start the cooker on high for an hour before lowering the heat setting.
• Thaw foods first. The USDA says that since the cookers start at such a low temperature at the beginning of the cycle, the pathogens are not killed but remain in the meat and can stay in that danger zone for too long.
• Are slow cookers safe to use overnight or unattended? Hamilton Beach says they are since they work on low wattage, only as much as 1½ 100-watt light bulbs. However, they do list the following cautions.
  • Follow the directions for your specific slow cooker.
  • Supervise children around the appliance.
  • Remind yourself that the outside will get hot. Only touch the handles.
  • Keep away from water.
  • Unplug when finished cooking.
  • Look the appliance over and do not use if you see any damage to the cord or the unit itself.
  • If leaving the house, ensure the appliance is set to low, placed away from the walls, and on a heatproof surface.

Purchasing a Slow Cooker

If you are looking to purchase a slow cooker, here is some advice from America’s Test Kitchen (ATK).

• Look for one that is easy to use without overcomplicated displays.
• Get one with a glass lid so you can see the progress without opening the cooker, which allows heat to escape and slows cooking.
• Oval/rectangular shapes are more versatile. They accommodate large roasts, and the large surface area is better for cooking grains/beans.
• Better quality cookers have internal temperature sensors and controls. This means they cook more gently and successfully than those without temperature controls. Cookers with sensors keep food at a braising temperature, just below boiling. Cookers without sensors will just keep fully heating to the boiling point, and you are more likely to get an overcooked result. The problem for the consumer is that you most likely won’t see this listed as a feature on the box. ATK used temperature probes to confirm this feature, and their recommendations are below.
• Large, stay-cool handles are preferred.
• An attached temperature probe is nice to have as you do not have to open the lid to check on doneness.
• Latching lids with silicone gaskets are also great if you transport food in the cooker.
• A hold-temperature feature will keep food at a desired temperature for up to 24 hours. This allows you to reheat food, use it as a fondue pot or make yogurt.
• ATK prefers digital over analog controls. Although the latter are simple to use, they do not indicate cooking progress and will not switch to keep warm when cooking is done. They keep cooking until you turn it off.

ATK Ratings

ATK tested and rated the following as the best slow cookers as of August 2024.

• KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker (Although ATK just published this review recently, it is no longer on the KitchenAid website.)
• Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6-quart Slow Cooker
• The best slow cooker with searing capabilities was the Cuisinart 6-quart 3-in-1 Cook Central.

Here are their recommendations for smaller slow cookers.

• Cuisinart 4-quart Cook Central 3-in-1 Multicooker
• Hamilton Beach 4 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

Recipe Conversion

• As with many things, using recipes developed for the slow cooker will give you the best results. However, if you wish to try converting recipes, here are some tips.
• You will have the best result with soups, stews, braises and roasts.
• Reduce the liquid in the non-slow cooker recipe by 20-30%. The liquid won’t evaporate in a slow cooker, as the lid should be tightly sealed. Only use enough liquid to cover the meat and vegetables.
• Ideally, only fill the cooker half to ⅔ full and never more than ¾ full.
• Since the liquid doesn’t reduce by evaporation, it won’t thicken to a sauce-like consistency. So, dip your meat in a small amount of flour before cooking. You can also make a cornstarch slurry (water/cornstarch), stir it in, and allow it to simmer until it becomes thick. Alternatively, put the liquid in a saucepan on the stovetop and use the cornstarch slurry to thicken.
• Slow cookers can amplify cayenne or other spicy ingredients. So, reduce the amount called for.
• Onions and garlic can intensify in the slow cooker. So, use less than called for, or finish the dish with chopped green onions or chives.
• Timing
  • The Spruce Eats lists conversion cooking time recommendations in this article.
  • BBC Good Food recommendations

Regular Recipe Time	Slow Cooker Time
15-30 minutes	2 hours on High or 4-6 hours on Low
30 minutes – 1 hour	2-3 hours on High or 5-7 hours on Low
1-2 hours	3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low
2-4 hours	4-6 hours on High or 8-12 hours on Low

Cleaning

• Most slow cookers are easy to clean, and many have dishwasher-safe cooking vessels. You can help by using a non-stick cooking spray or rubbing oil inside the slow cooker before you begin the recipe.
• Some like to use slow cooker liners, although they can be pricey. There is also the consideration of cooking your food in plastic.
• If you do have food stuck on the inside of your slow cookers, here is some advice for clean-up.
  • Fill the cooker to the top with water. Turn it on to low and allow it to set for several hours. This should allow the food to loosen.
  • Some like to add a few tablespoons of baking soda and a few drops of dish soap and proceed as above.
  • If you have white mineral stains on the inside, fill the cooker with water and 1 cup of vinegar. Allow to set overnight and wash and dry as usual.

High Altitude

• A final piece of advice for those of you who live at higher elevations like me. You already know that water boils at a lower temperature, and food takes longer to cook. You may wonder if that could affect how you use your slow cooker.
• Colorado State University warns that there is more of a risk that your food will stay in the danger zone for too long. To counter this, they recommend setting your cooker to maintain a temperature of at least 200°F. Start the food on high for the first hour. After that, you can either continue cooking on high or turn to low at that time. You may also expect that the food will take longer to cook. Some experts suggest that you will need to add 30 minutes for each hour of time specified. Legumes can take twice as long.

Are you a slow cooker user? Are you considering buying one? I hope this Tip will help you choose the right one and use it to obtain the best results.

When you make a recipe, do you rely on the times listed in the recipe, whether it be prep time, total cooking time or cook time for just one particular step? In my classes, I often find the students religiously using a timer and expecting it to tell them when a specific step is done. That is one thing that can lead to recipe failure in your kitchen. I have been known to take times out of a recipe to force students to rely on their other senses, such as sight, smell, hearing and taste. In this Cooking Tip, I will discuss the dilemma of timing in recipes.

Before we get into the timing issue, let me remind you that not all recipes you will find, especially online, are well-written and accurate. I have written a prior Cooking Tip on Recipe Cautions that you might want to read.

Most recipes list different times—prep time, times for individual steps, and total cooking time. When I read a recipe, I ignore the prep time, as it can be very misleading. I might glance at the total cooking time, but I pay more attention to the timing of different steps. Although they might not be accurate, they give me a better estimate of how much time I will need to prepare a dish.

Let’s discuss why the timing listed in recipes might not be correct and what you should do to be successful. Many variables affect how long it will take you in your kitchen to prepare a dish from start to finish, and those variables often mean your real cooking time is different from the recipe’s.

Organization – what the French call mise en place – is very important to how long it will take you to complete a dish.

• If your kitchen is disorganized, you will spend more time looking for an ingredient, the correct pot/pan, or a kitchen tool. None of that will be included in the recipe’s prep time, as the writer assumes you have all you need readily available.
• How quick and efficient are your knife skills? I do not advocate trying to be a lightning-quick chopper/slicer. However, the more you practice, the quicker you will naturally get. And, the more efficient you become in achieving the proper and similar-sized results, the less additional chopping you will have to do. The recipe writer probably assumes you have good knife skills. If you do not, you will need to add extra time to the recipe.

What is included in the prep time?

• You might think that the estimated prep time includes gathering all your ingredients and preparing them as instructed to get ready for cooking. It certainly doesn’t include the “gathering” stage.
• Some recipes may include all the washing of vegetables, chopping, slicing, peeling, and measuring in the prep time, but others do not. When they do not, I am not sure what they think “prep” involves, but you are going to need to significantly lengthen their estimate for prep. Unfortunately, I have never seen a recipe that states what is and what is not included in prep time.
• If the recipe says to use 4 tablespoons of butter at room temperature, most likely the recipe developer assumes the butter is at room temperature when you start cooking. If it is not, guess what? Your start-to-finish time will be longer as you wait for your butter to come to room temperature. And, yes, those recommendations are generally necessary to the recipe’s success. See this Tip for more explanation.

Equipment

• A good recipe will include the type and size of pot/pan you will need. However, you will probably not have the exact same pot. Using a smaller or larger pot can affect the cooking time. A smaller pot decreases the surface area, and since the liquid in that pot will be deeper, it can take longer to cook. Cooking risotto in a smaller diameter pot will take much longer than if you cook that same risotto in a larger diameter and shallower pot.
• How sharp are your knives? Just as with your knife skills, using a dull knife can increase the prep time, and that does not even talk about the danger of dull knives.
• The oven temperature and its accuracy may greatly affect cooking/baking times. If your times are significantly different from the recipe, you should seriously consider checking the temperature of your oven with an accurate oven thermometer. Even if your oven registers the correct temperature, it may cook/bake differently based on its air circulation and whether you use the convection mode or not.
• Cooktop temperature – low, medium, medium-high, and high on your cooktop can mean different things to different people, and even setting the dial at a similar setting as that recommended in the recipe can produce a different heat output on a different stovetop.

The Cook’s Skill

• You get quicker at an activity whenever you are more skilled at it. Recipe developers are very experienced. Therefore, it probably takes them less time to go from start to finish than you will. It has been shown that cookbook and recipe writers frequently underestimate start-to-finish times.
• This is especially true if you have never made the recipe before. If that is the case, add at least 15 minutes to the recipe’s timing.

Environment

• The ambient temperature of your kitchen might mean it will take you longer than the recipe states. We all probably know that cooler kitchens lead to longer proofing times. However, cooler kitchens also mean your pantry ingredients, such as flour, will be cooler. Therefore, even if you place your item in a temperature-controlled proofer, cooler flour means a longer proofing time. The recipe writer is most likely making time estimates based on his/her environment, which may not match yours.
• Altitude – those who live at a higher altitude know that certain dishes will take longer to cook, especially whole grains and beans. Unless the recipe states it was developed at a high altitude, assume it was not. That means more time for you.

Ingredients

• Besides the ingredients’ temperature, the food’s size will also alter the cooking time. Does diced onion mean the same thing to the recipe writer as it does to you? If the food is larger than the one used in developing the recipe, cooking time can be longer.
• The thickness of the meat is very important. If your meat cut is thicker than the recipe calls for, it can take much longer to cook.

Follow your senses, not your timer.

• Because of the above, if a recipe says a specific step will take a certain amount of time, do not rely on that time. As Bon Appetit puts it, “When you’re following a recipe at home, cook to the indicator, not to the time.” For example, the recipe might say, “sauté onions for 3-5 minutes or until they are softened and golden.” The indicator after that “or until” is so much more important than the “3-5 minutes.”
• Use your senses to tell when you have completed a particular step. Does your pan and the ingredients look as indicated? Is the aroma as stated? If the recipe says something like “softened,” taste it. There is no better way to determine texture than by tasting.

Timers

• Does that mean you should throw your timers out? No, they have a place, especially when something is in the oven. I always set my timers for less time than the recipe states and then check what I am cooking.
• For meat, invest in a good food thermometer. That is one piece of equipment that is bound to improve your results in the kitchen. It is not just for meat, though. Bread, casseroles, and candy are just some other items that will benefit from cooking to the proper temperature.
• If a timer does nothing else, it will help you not forget that you have something on the stove or oven.

As I mentioned in the Tip on Recipe Cautions, a recipe failure might not be your fault. It might be the fault of the recipe writer. Timing is something over which you have control, and I hope this explanation will help you as you evaluate a recipe and its stated timing. It might not be what you expect!

Do you give much thought to your kitchen towels? I have a drawer full of all kinds. Some are lovely towels that very good friends gifted to me. Others are ones I have had so long that I have no idea when or where I obtained them. Others are seasonal that I only pull out for Christmas, Thanksgiving or the fall season. I must admit that some of these towels are more absorbent and seem to do a better job. Are there certain things we should look for when buying and using kitchen towels? Are some brands superior to others? Let’s look at that topic in this Cooking Tip.

Before looking at what makes a better towel, reviewing my Cooking Tip on Kitchen Sponges would be helpful. Because of the risk of pathogens flourishing in kitchen sponges, we should probably use more kitchen towels instead of sponges as long as we take care of the towels properly.

As with sponges, towels can also be a breeding ground for pathogens. Wet surfaces are more susceptible to bacterial growth, so kitchen towels should always be laid out or hung up to dry between uses.

They should also be swapped out frequently, probably every few days. If they come into contact with raw meat or eggs, swap them out as soon as you wipe up the spills. They should be laundered and allowed to dry completely before being put back into use. For the best sanitation, a hot water wash is recommended. Hot water is also better for stain removal. The downside (besides the energy cost) is that hot water will lead to more shrinkage of the towels. I suspect most of us throw our towels in a dryer after laundering, but one advantage of air drying is that it reduces the piling of the towels.

When you go to the store to buy kitchen towels, are you drawn to the pretty colors and patterns? I know I am. However, there are more important considerations, such as the type of fabric, the type of weave and the size. Let’s look at the pros/cons of different types before looking at favorite brands.

Fabric – Most dish towels are made of cotton, linen, microfiber or a blend.

Cotton

• Pros – cotton towels will be soft, more durable than other fabrics, and very versatile.
• Cons – cotton towels take longer to dry and are prone to piling and leaving lint behind.

Linen

• Pros – linen towels quickly dry and are much less likely to develop piles or lint. They are also durable.
• Cons – the major con is that they are pricey compared to cotton towels. They can also feel scratchy for the first few uses

Microfiber

• Pros – microfiber towels are relatively inexpensive, very soft, and ideal for shining delicate glassware.
• Cons – many people use their kitchen towels as pot holders to remove hot items from the oven. Microfiber can melt when exposed to high heat and should not be used for this purpose.

Weave – Towels can be woven in different patterns. They vary depending on how the strands of material are interlaced to form the fabric. There might be a simple, plain weave, a waffle weave, a basket weave or a terry cloth weave. Although you might not care about identifying the exact weave, the weave will manifest in how the towel looks, feels and performs.

• Cotton towels with a plain weave will be thinner. They won’t be as absorbent, but they are great for delicate tasks such as drying glasses. They are also excellent for wringing out moisture from your shredded veggies (such as zucchini) or for just placing your washed produce so it can dry.
• Waffle weave towels will have a square or rectangular pattern. They tend to be thicker and more absorbent.
• A basketweave is said to strike a balance between strength and absorbency.
• Terry cloth is the easiest to identify. It is very absorbent but is the most prone to piling and linting.

Size somewhat depends on your storage space and your personal preference. People who do a lot of towel drying of dishes like larger towels as they can dry more dishes with just one towel. America’s Test Kitchen prefers towels that are 30 inches long by 20 inches wide. Another consideration is to remember that most towels will shrink some after being washed. So, the size you end up with will be smaller than what you buy. For people like me, who do minimal towel drying of dishes, smaller sizes are better as they are easier to store and dry.

What should you look for in a kitchen towel?

• Absorbency
• Durability
• Easy to clean
• It is thick enough to use as a pot holder without being too bulky. This is a minor consideration for me, as I prefer using an oven mitt to a towel for hot items. Others tend to always use a towel, and for them, this is an important consideration.
• Usage – Many, including myself, like to have different types of towels for different purposes.
  • I always have one very absorbent, usually terry, towel dedicated for hand drying. That is the one I loop through my apron ties every time I cook. It is important, though, to keep that towel dedicated just to hands and not where it will come into contact with food or clean dishes.
  • I then have simpler woven towels that I use to set dishes on as they air dry or to put my washed produce on. Since, as I said, I do minimal towel drying of dishes, these towels also work well enough for that purpose.

There are similarities and differences in results from outlets that have conducted rigorous testing of different towels. As you might expect, everyone has their favorite towel. A few towels, though, tend to rise to the top of the ratings over and over.

Zeppoli Dish Towels

• These towels are considered the workhorse of many professional kitchens, particularly because they can be used for multiple tasks. They can be used not only for lint-free dish drying but also for hand drying, wiping counters or appliances and as potholders.
• They are made of 100% cotton and are 14”X25”.
• They come in a few different colors and are simple yet attractive towels.
• They are relatively inexpensive as compared to other highly rated towels.
• The one negative is that they can take a long time to dry.

Williams Sonoma Towels – multiple sources highly rated two different WS towels.

WS Classic Stripe Towels

• Made of 100% cotton in a basketweave pattern, these towels are available in several different colors and the size is 20”X30”.
• They are strong and absorbent, although not as much as terry towels.
• Stains come out easily.
• They dry more quickly than other towels.
• They tend to be rough, but they will soften with washing.
• They are more expensive than the Zeppoli.

WS All-Purpose Pantry Towels

• Made of 100% cotton with a tighter weave.
• Available in multiple colors with a size of 20”X30”.
• They have a waffle texture on one side and terry on the other.
• Top rated by TheKitchn.com and Wirecutter. The latter states they are the best combination of absorbency, durability, attractiveness and price.
• They are very durable.
• Some users preferred the classic striped ones, as the all-purpose ones are rougher and a bit thick for delicate drying tasks.

Utopia Towels Kitchen Bar Mops Towels—If you want an inexpensive towel for cleaning purposes, these bar mop towels may be the thing.

• They are a terry cloth made of 100% cotton, making them very absorbent.
• They come in multiple colors and are 16”X19”.
• They may not be the best for dishes as they tend to leave lint on the surfaces. They are better for wiping up spills and drying hands.
• Besides the lint, other negatives are that they are not the most durable, take a long time to air dry, and are not very attractive.

Different sources rate other towels as their favorite, but the above were the ones that were rated the highest and most often.

Do you give much thought to your dish towels? If not, maybe another look is in store for you. I hope the above information will be helpful as you replace some of your dish towels.