Waffle towels, set of three

Waffle weave, because a flat weave pushes water around a pan and a terry one leaves lint on glass. The waffle cells hold the water instead, which is why a 500 g/m² waffle towel dries a roasting tin that a heavier terry towel only smears. Three to a set, because the honest number of kitchen towels in use at once is three: one on the oven door, one at the sink, one in the wash. They come pre-shrunk, so the 50 by 70 cm on the label is the size after the first wash rather than before it. Wash at 60 °C — kitchen towels are the one textile in the house that actually needs it — and tumble low or line dry. They will feel stiff for the first two washes and then soften and stay soft. No fabric conditioner, ever: it coats the cotton and a coated towel stops absorbing, which is the only job a towel has.