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They're brilliant and so useful.
Have you ever discovered something that changes your life—makes it better, easier, or just works really well—and then felt the need to tell everyone about it? There are certain purchases or discoveries I can’t help talking about at dinner parties, texting to friends unprompted, or even bringing up with total strangers in the aisle where I first found them. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but I promise it comes from a good place. As a busy mom, I want to help other busy parents.
For me, flour sack towels are one of those go-to essentials. If you’ve somehow made it this far in your cooking life without a stack, this story is for you.
In my kitchen, towels are rarely sitting still. As a recipe developer and mom, I’m always washing, drying, straining, prepping, or covering something. Between everyday meals, the occasional baking project, and my work, I go through a lot of kitchen towels.
Flour sack towels are the ones I reach for most. The Mainstays kitchen towel pack from Walmart, in particular, is my go-to because the value can’t be beat. They come in a pack of 10 for $10.67—roughly a dollar each.
Mainstays White Flour Sack Kitchen Towel Set
- Price: $10.67 for a pack of 10 towels
- Why I Love It: Light, highly absorbent, dries quickly, lint-free, and useful for so many things—I have to have a bunch in my kitchen at all times.
Why I Love the Mainstay Flour Sack Kitchen Towels
If you’ve never used a flour sack towel before, here’s the rundown: They’re 100% cotton, flat-woven, lightweight, and essentially lint-free after the first wash. In the past, they were made from cotton bags used to ship flour and sugar. Once the bags were empty, home cooks washed, hemmed, and put them right back to work. Today’s versions mimic that same tight, smooth weave, and they’re brilliant.
What makes them unique is that they’re both thin and highly absorbent. While standard terry cloth towels are thicker and can become saturated quickly, flour sack towels pull moisture away and dry quickly between uses. They also don’t shed fibers, which means you’re less likely to find fuzz or lint where you don’t want it—like on glassware, freshly washed produce, or bread crusts if you’re a baker.
At about a dollar per towel, they’re affordable enough to keep a generous stack on hand. For me, that’s the whole point—I use them constantly. Once they’ve done their duty in the kitchen, they get bleached and retired to the cleaning rag bin.
They’re also one of the rare products that gets better with washing. They become softer, more absorbent, and broken-in, making them even better with age. All you need is regular detergent and a standard tumble dry. If you use fabric softener, skip it here because it can affect absorbency over time. New flour sack towels can feel stiff straight out of the pack, so it’s a good idea to wash them before using them.
How I Use Flour Sack Towels
They’re incredibly versatile. I use them to dry or buff things like wine glasses and stainless steel, where I want to ensure there’s no lint. They’re also gentler than a salad spinner, especially for delicate greens like basil, arugula, and fresh mint. I spread the washed leaves across the towel, fold it over, and gently pat them dry. I also wrap leftover washed herbs I thought I’d use in them before storing them in the fridge, and they’re ideal for squeezing liquid from grated zucchini or potatoes for fritters, latkes, and quick breads.
I also use them as a stand-in for cheesecloth when I’m straining yogurt into labneh, draining ricotta, or filtering homemade nut milk. These are tasks I used to tackle more often before two kids entered the picture, but the towels make it easy enough that I still reach for them on occasion. They’re reusable, sturdier than disposable cheesecloth, and easy to wash.
They’re indispensable for baking. As a bread baker, I use them to cover rising dough and to line bread baskets, helping keep whatever I’m serving warm and fresh. In the dining room, they fold into casual cloth napkins with a farmhouse feel—and their usefulness extends well beyond the kitchen.
For example, when my daughter was little, she used them as “blankies” for her dolls. When I started raving about them to friends—almost 10 years ago now—I discovered that a friend was using them as burp cloths and receiving blankets for her newborn.
This is the kind of purchase I can almost guarantee you’ll reach for again and again. They’re one of the things I rave about at dinner parties, text friends links to unprompted, and press into the hands of anyone who will listen. They’re my favorite, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t become yours, too.
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Read the original article on Simply Recipes
