Reviews you can trust.
See why.The Best Paper Towels
It took 96 rolls—88,608 sheets—to find one phenomenal paper towel.
Published May 1, 2017. Appears in America's Test Kitchen TV Season 21: Back to Grilling Basics
Top Picks
See Everything We Tested
What You Need To Know
Colorful Dutch ovens, turbocharged blenders, and flashy knives may hog the spotlight, but the most essential piece of equipment in our test kitchen just might be the humble paper towel. We use paper towels to sop up grease, water, and other messes; to blot meat and dry herbs; to scrub gritty stovetops and counters; to oil grill grates; to wipe out cast-iron skillets; and simply to dry our hands. A good paper towel is tough, absorbent, and versatile.
While many shoppers just buy whichever paper towels are on sale, we decided to test them to find out which product performs best. We focused on the smallest rolls sold by the top seven national manufacturers. Since people have very strong opinions on the issue of full-sheet versus variable-sheet paper towels, we included both styles: five full-sheet and seven variable-sheet, for a grand total of 12 products priced from about $0.90 to $2.50 per roll.
Towels and cleaning supplies in hand, we set to work. We used single sheets from each roll to scrub all-purpose cleaner off six different surfaces—plastic, wood, metal, granite, marble, and glass—and examined the towels for tears, lint, and excessive wetness on the surfaces or our hands. We used folded towels to blot four steaks dry and drained fried bacon onto a triple layer of each towel, checking to see if any meat juices or grease soaked through. We loaded the rolls onto a paper towel holder and ripped sheets off with wet and dry hands. And then we scrubbed some more, examining the appearance of each towel after 100, 200, and 300 passes across a semiabrasive plastic cutting board.
We also took some measurements, examining the thickness and dimensions of each towel and counting the number of sheets on each roll. We got an objective read on absorbency by weighing single sheets dry and then fully soaked with water to calculate the amount of liquid they could hold per square inch, and we measured strength by lifting 30-, 200-, and 500-gram weights (about 1 ounce, 7 ounces, and 17 ounces, respectively) placed on top of both dry and wet towels. Finally, we rounded up 36 testers to try out the rolls at home over the course of four weeks.
The first thing we noticed: There was no performance difference between full-sheet and variable-sheet paper towels from each manufacturer. Though the variable sheets were about half the width of full-size sheets, they were equally as strong and absorbent per square inch. Testers were firmly split over which style they favored, so we called it a wash and agreed that style is a matter of preference, not performance.
But sheet style was the only thing our testers were split on—most towels completely bombed o...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Linting: 3 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 3 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 3 stars out of 3.
Every tester who tried these paper towels came back with a rave review. The sheets were thick, soft, and sturdy, and a single full-size sheet could hold nearly 1/4 cup of water—about twice as much as lower-ranked products. Thanks to their double-ply construction, these sheets looked unscathed after scrubbing—even after 300 passes across a plastic cutting board—and we detected nary a hair of lint, even on glass.
Recommended
- Linting: 2.5 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 3 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2.5 stars out of 3.
These two-ply paper towels were durable and strong, easily holding more than 1 pound of weight and muscling through all our scrubbing tests without fraying or tearing. Said one tester: “They felt like I could have rinsed one, wrung it out, and used it again, like they do in paper towel commercials.” A few testers lamented that these towels were a bit linty and not as soft as our winner.
Recommended with reservations
- Linting: 1 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
These ultrasoft, cloth-like towels sure felt luxurious, but testers were split on their performance. While their thick, plush weave easily soaked up messes and kept our hands thoroughly dry when we scrubbed, their strength waned when wet, and they tore under less than 1/2 pound of weight. They were also ultralinty: Paper scraps lingered on every surface we scrubbed, and multiple testers noted a cloud of lint whenever they tore off a sheet.
- Linting: 2 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 2 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 2 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1.5 stars out of 3.
The “budget” offering by Viva, these towels were surprisingly just as expensive once we calculated the price per square foot, and they weren’t quite as plush or absorbent. However, these one-ply towels managed to muscle through our scrubbing tests, emerging with only a small hole after 300 scrubs. They also didn’t lint as much as their premium counterpart, though testers detected some residue when we used these towels to dry meat and wine glasses.
Not Recommended
- Linting: 2 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 2 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
Testers noted that this product “looked cheap” from the get-go: The sheets were “rough” and “flimsy,” with deep embossing that made the paper towels “look more substantial than they were.” The single ply easily ripped when we encountered a moderately rough surface, and liquid soaked through onto to our hands when we dried steaks or wiped up a few sprays of kitchen cleaner. Home testers reported running through these rolls in just a few days because they had to use more sheets to compensate for the lackluster absorbency.
- Linting: 3 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 1 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
Despite their two-ply construction, these towels were thin and flimsy and fell apart after fewer than 100 scrubs. Our hands felt wet and soggy when we used these towels to soak up messes, and testers were frustrated by their “wimpy,” weak texture. “I expected them to fall apart even with just drying my hands,” said one tester. The only plus: very little linting.
- Linting: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Strength: 1 stars out of 3.
- Absorbency: 1 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
This product initially fooled us with its soft and plush texture, but we were frustrated when we put the towels to work. Steaks were linty, meat juices soaked through onto our hands, gaping holes formed in the towels after fewer than 100 passes across a cutting board, and grease seeped through three layers of these towels, leaving our bacon sitting in a puddle of fat. “Even my store-brand paper towels are better than this,” said one tester.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
0 Comments
