Well yes and no, but mainly no. We have had many discussions at MollyMac over the years, are they tea towels, dish cloths, kitchen towels, dish towels? What is the correct term for them in America? Canada? It is a minefield. We have plumped for tea towels but thought we'd explain a few differences between tea towels and dish towels - which seems to be the largest area of confusion.
What are Tea Towels used for?
Traditionally Tea Towels (and when we say Tea Towels we are obviously referring to our own range) are used for the more refined jobs in the kitchen. Drying a few utensils that didn't quite make it to the dishwasher, lining a tray, hanging on the oven door, covering some food or casually draped over your shoulder in a Domestic Goddess kind of way. They are not for removing stains from the counters, wiping up mess on the stove or taking things out of a hot oven - I mean you can, but we wouldn't recommend it.
What are Dish Towels used for?
Dish towels are doing the hard work, they barely last a day in your kitchen without having to be washed. Cleaning up the mess, wiping up the spills all the donkey work.
Tea Towel vs Dish Towel: Are They Any Different?
So to sum up the difference, dish towels are the work horse of your kitchen and tea towels are the thoroughbred, it couldn't be simpler. Saying
that it has been known for a MollyMac tea towel to undergo some rather arduous tasks over the years in our own kitchens and they look none the worse for it, so call them what you want just have plenty of them to hand!