I Asked 4 Food Pros To Name the Best Kitchen Towels—They All Said the Same Brand

They're the most durable, affordable option.

I have a secret to admit: I am addicted to paper towels. With three kids, there is always a mess around every corner, and me with a roll of paper towels close behind.

Recently, I’ve tried my best to cut back on my usage. Not only are paper towels terrible for the environment, but they are tough on my wallet, too. The only problem? My current crop of dish towels is just not getting the job done.

I cook as part of my job, which means there are always tons of dishes to dry and stuck-on kitchen messes to handle. I needed to find a quality kitchen towel that could do it all. I decided it was time to bring in the experts to find out what kitchen towels were best. To my surprise, they all gave me the same answer, and the towels were a bargain to boot!

The Food Pros I Asked:

• Clare Langan: Content strategist, culinary expert, and creative producer. She develops seasonal recipes inspired by the bounty surrounding her in Northern California. She’s also the queen of cooking hacks, which she shares on her Substack, On Cooking, and Related Endeavors.
• Sara Tane: Private Chef and Recipe Developer based in Los Angeles. She shares recipes on her weekly Substack. 
• Rachel Dolfi: Culinary Producer and Food Editor who’s been on set with culinary legends like Binging with Babish and Matty Matheson. She’s also a private chef in NYC. 
• Lisa Thompson: LA-based Senior Culinary Content Producer and chief officer of carbs and magic at Pistachio Focacceria.

The Best Kitchen Towels According to Food Pros

One thing all of the pros I spoke to have in common is the need to wash A LOT of dishes. While quality recipe development is an art, cleaning up just comes with the territory. The good news? The kitchen towels they reach for are about $20 for a pack of 12 and can stand up to almost any job: White Terry Barmop Towels.

Lisa is no stranger to the mess of motherhood, and with a sourdough business on her hands, she knows a thing or two about a sink full of dishes! Lisa says, “I for some reason feel like they are more multi-purpose! I use them for craft projects for my son, for drying washed produce, I even wrap my knives in them sometimes when I need to transport.” Spoken like a true chef!

Clare, who went on her own quest to limit paper towel usage a few years ago, has the added challenge of doing the bulk of her recipe testing and development in a kitchen without a dishwasher. She needs something that can do the heavy lifting when it comes to drying dishes.

She says, “Back in my personal chef days, I started buying large packs of these square cotton barmop towels. Their small size makes them versatile, doubling as a wet mop for countertops or used dry to towel off dishes. I always brought a stack to every home I cooked in to make cleaning up easier. Nowadays, I use them for drying small items and to clean up messes instead of reaching for a paper towel. I've had them for six years, and they're just starting to fray a bit.”

Sara found her love for these iconic kitchen towels while working at Girl & The Goat in LA. “I always get the white ones with blue stripes from Amazon; that’s what they had in the restaurant, and it makes me feel legit!“ These towels aren't for show, but they make up for it by being incredibly durable. Sara explains, “I’m not married to them stylistically, so if they get discolored or whatever, I don’t really care.” Yes, chef!

Rachel knows a thing or two about multitasking with her extensive experience on set. She says, “I love how absorbent they are without being extremely thick! Also doubled over, they’re the perfect side towel for grabbing hot sheet trays straight from the oven.” I love a multi-use tool!

Now that I've heard rave reviews from these incredible cooking pros, you'll always find me with a stack of these blue and white babies in my kitchen!