Are Dish Towels And Kitchen Towels The Same Thing? - Tasting Table

"Well, yes and no. Technically, a "kitchen towel" can be thought of as the larger classification, while a "dish towel" is a smaller subcategory of that classification, though there are some distinct differences between the two. Think of it as using the word "vehicle" to describe an automobile that drives on the road but then using more specific subcategories like "truck" or "sedan" to further classify the two. The term works for both, but there are specifications that ought to be made."

"In short, a dish towel is a kind of kitchen towel, but standard kitchen towels are much more versatile and more durable. They can be used for drying dishes and glassware, sure, but their thick, woven composition makes them more suited for cleaning small spills on the counter, handling hot dishes, and wiping your hands. The only problem is that most people don't change their kitchen towels as often as they should."

Kitchen towel functions as a broad category that includes dish towels and tea towels. Dish towels specialize in drying dishes and are typically made from ultra-absorbent materials such as terry cloth or cotton to remove leftover water from cleanware. Standard kitchen towels tend to be thicker and more woven, offering greater durability and versatility for cleaning small spills, handling hot dishes, and wiping hands. Tea towels and dish towels both fall under the kitchen towel category. Many households use decorative, less-absorbent towels for display rather than practical drying, and people frequently fail to replace kitchen towels as often as hygiene recommends.

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