What changes about a dish towel when December arrives

A holiday towel is judged by the same measure as any other, how much water it takes up, but the season changes how it gets used. Here is what to check before the first pot of cider.

The number that decides it

An 18 by 28 inch towel is a standard size. It folds in thirds and still covers a palm and wrist. Size is not what decides whether a towel works, though. Fiber and weave do. Cotton in a flat or waffle weave can hold several times its own weight in water. Polyester blends and tightly printed fabrics hold far less and mostly push water around the plate. A label that says “super absorbent” is marketing unless it also names the fiber.

What embroidery does and does not do

Stitched designs are usually polyester or rayon thread, which absorbs almost nothing. Dense stitching also stiffens the cloth underneath it. An embroidered towel therefore has two zones, one for drying and one for show. Dry glasses with the plain end, and keep the stitched panel facing out where the room can see it. A cabin scene earns its place on the oven door handle, not at the bottom of a drying pile.

Why December is different

The month changes how a towel is used in a few specific ways.

First, baking. A clean, dry cotton towel is the right cover for rising dough, because it sheds little lint and lets moisture out slowly. It is a poor potholder, however. Damp cotton conducts heat quickly, and steam through a wet spot is how most towel burns happen.

Second, rotation. A set of three makes a simple system: one hanging, one in the wash, one folded and ready. Guests drying their hands will go through a towel in an evening, and a damp towel that stays damp for a full day starts to smell.

Third, the first wash. Deep reds and greens can bleed, so wash new towels alone in cold water before they go on display. Expect cotton to shrink by roughly 3 to 5 percent, which takes 28 inches down to about 27. Do this in October or early November, so the first use is not also the first wash.

Heated indoor air in winter does help in one respect. Towels dry faster on a rail in December than they do in a humid August, which is reason enough to let them hang open instead of bunched over a handle.