Lemme tell ya what I’m lookin for in a flour sack towel. The criteria aren’t complicated: sturdy, dense, tightly-woven, heavy weight, straight-edged, well-hemmed, unblemished. A piece of fabric of sufficient quality to serve elegantly on the lap as a table napkin; or in the kitchen serving an all-purpose roll ranging from oven hot-pad, to dish drying, to finger towel draped over the chef’s shoulder; or in the utility room as a champion all-purpose cleaning cloth --- particularly on windows. How hard can that be? Apparently it’s pretty hard because most offerings peddled as “flour sack towels” don’t come close. To find towels that measure up, I bought six different offerings based on description and customer reviews and considered each carefully. Here is what I found. Aunt Martha's 28-Inch by 28-Inch Flour Sack Dish Towels, Premium 130 Thread Count, White, Set of 7. 525 customer reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars. Measured dimension: 26-1/2” x 26”. Weight: 83 g. Hem: ½” all ‘round. Sides: straight all ‘round. Comments: hanging tab at one corner; wrinkle free; indisputable gold medalist. Rating: 5 stars. Liliane Collection. Flour Sack Towels - 6 Units - Large 28 in x 29 Size - High Quality, Low Lint - 100% Cotton - Chef Quality 31 Oz/Dz - Old Fashioned Flour Sacks Offer Exceptional Absorption - Dish Towels Flour Sack use by Professional Cooks and Restaurants - Flour Sack Towels Have Multiple Uses in the Gourmet Kitchen - Embroidery Projects – White. 30 customer reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Measured dimension: 28-1/2” x 29”. Weight: 73 g. Hem: 2 sides ½”, 2 sides taped. Sides: straight. Comments: silver medal; nothing close to the gold medalist and not even as heavy as the bronze medalist, but they had a nice look and feel. Rating: 3 stars. Nouvelle Legende® Cotton Flour Sack Towels Commercial Grade 28in X 29in (4-Pack). 118 customer reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Measured dimension: 26-1/2” x 26”. Weight: 82 g. Hem: ¼” all ‘round, but “shriveled”. Sides: slightly curved all ‘round, apparently from shrinkage. Comments: bronze medal; actually a bit heavier than the silver medalist, but their shrunken, wrinkled, unattractive appearance kept them from taking that slot. Rating: 3 stars. Utopia Kitchen. Flour-Sack-Towels Dish-Cloth Kitchen-Towels Pure Cotton 12-Pack, 28x28 Inch. 595 customer reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars. #1 Best Seller in Cloth Napkins. Measured dimension: 28-1/2” x 30”. Weight: 70 g. Hem: ½” all ‘round. Sides: straight all ‘round. Comments: nice, but just too light weight and see through to finish as a medalist. Rating: 2 stars. Cotton Craft 12 Pack Flour Sack Kitchen Towels, Commercial & Professional Grade White 28x28 Pure 100% Cotton, Multi-Purpose High Quality Woven Construction, Will take a lot of wear and tear, Low Lint. 17 customer reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars. Measured dimension: 27-1/2” x 27”. Weight: 87 g. Hem: all 4 sides: ½”. Sides: all four: straight. Comments: tab at one corner for hanging; some black ink staining; package contained 7, not 12 towels; would have been silver medalist were it not for the few ink stains and package count shortage. Rating: 1 stars. Luxe Home Essentials Flour Sack Towels Commercial Grade 28in X 29in (Set of 3 Towels). 55 customer reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars. Measured dimension: 28-1/2” x 27”. Weight: 64 g. Hem: 2 sides ¼”, 2 sides taped (rolled?). Sides: curved like the letter “C” all ‘round. Comments: bandage gauze would come closer to qualifying as flour sack towel; I wouldn’t keep them if a loved one gave them to me. Rating: 1 stars
