Are kitchen towels made of asbestos or somethin?!

[Silver]

That question is actually a bit tongue-in-cheek...but I have noticed that all of the chefs on TV can hold the hottest dishes fresh out of the oven with nothing but a towel. When I do that...yowza.

What's the deal? What am I missing out on? Do I need some kind of special towel? Am I using the towel equivalent of cheap knives?

Sorry for the stupid question

 

[Andy M.]

If you use several layers of towel and your hands have become a little accustomed to hot stuff, it works fine. As long as the towel is dry you should be fine.

A wet towel will burn you. The heat of the pot or pan vaporizes the water into steam which travels to your hand and, "Ouch!".

 

[Caine]

As many as I have accidently set on fire by getting them too close to the gas burners, I doubt it very much.

 

[Silver]

Thanks for the info, I was starting to wonder!

 

[licia]

I have a different problem with some kitchen towels gifted to me. They are beautiful and colorful - cardinals sitting on a limb. HOWEVER, they won't dry anything, not even my hands. Is there such a thing as a simply ornamental towel? These should be framed, not used in a kitchen, yet they are called kitchen towels.

 

[urmaniac13]

I have a different problem with some kitchen towels gifted to me. They are beautiful and colorful - cardinals sitting on a limb. HOWEVER, they won't dry anything, not even my hands. Is there such a thing as a simply ornamental towel? These should be framed, not used in a kitchen, yet they are called kitchen towels.

I honestly believe so... you wouldn't want to actually put them into use and get it all grease/char stained and what not...
When I go to some kitchen gadget shops I also see many items that are pretty to look at and would make a nice decorative effect on a kitchen counter but actually I don't see them very practical. Unfortunately our kitchen is tiny and it is always a huge challenge to fit everything that is useful in a functional way, we just don't have any space for such "ornaments"...

 

[Andy M.]

I learned from my SO that fabric softener reduces the absorbacy of towels. You can't have both soft and absorbent, I guess.

I wash my kitchen towels, dishcloths and cutting board pads separately in a load using bleach and no fabric softener.

 

[licia]

I suppose I will consider them "strictly ornamental". I don't use fabric softener in any form. I think it is just the fabric of the towels. They are very pretty, but I don't use many things in my kitchen that are strictly ornamental, unless they go on the wall. I suppose I can hang them on the front of my oven like Paula does.

 

[Kid4eva]

I learned from my SO that fabric softener reduces the absorbacy of towels. You can't have both soft and absorbent, I guess.

I wash my kitchen towels, dishcloths and cutting board pads separately in a load using bleach and no fabric softener.

Is there a reason for doing that, apart from getting that nice, white color back? My towels are kinda stained, as I am using them as a floor rug before I put them in the washing machine. I wash'em on 90 degrees celcius which is close to the boiling point of water, so I sup it can't be a problem besides looking ugly, right? Last time I used bleach was when my mum came to clean.

 

[Swann]

That question is actually a bit tongue-in-cheek...but I have noticed that all of the chefs on TV can hold the hottest dishes fresh out of the oven with nothing but a towel. When I do that...yowza.

What's the deal? What am I missing out on? Do I need some kind of special towel? Am I using the towel equivalent of cheap knives?

Sorry for the stupid question

Many of the chefs on Food TV say they have asbestes fingers. They have callusus built up. However, when have you seen a hot dish/pan removed from the oven? From the way things are managed after baking you know they have been cooled. Cooking on top of the stove, the items may be cooled some too or they are use to the heat on the fingers. I use a towel to remove pans too but the towel is a thick terry type.

 

[Silver]

Many of the chefs on Food TV say they have asbestes fingers. They have callusus built up. However, when have you seen a hot dish/pan removed from the oven? From the way things are managed after baking you know they have been cooled. Cooking on top of the stove, the items may be cooled some too or they are use to the heat on the fingers. I use a towel to remove pans too but the towel is a thick terry type.

Maybe it's just time to replace the old threadbare ones that I've had for years.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Corey123]

Where on earth did you hear that kitchen towels are made from asbestos?


~Corey123.

 

[Silver]

Where on earth did you hear that kitchen towels are made from asbestos?


~Corey123.

That question is actually a bit tongue-in-cheek...

I was mostly kidding...but simply referring to the apparent superiority of kitchen towels on TV or invulnerable cooks or the fact that I might just be wimpy. I didn't really think the towels had asbestos in them.

I might be new, but not that new

 

[Corey123]

Didn't think they were!


~Corey123.

 

[Diane1415]

but I have noticed that all of the chefs on TV can hold the hottest dishes fresh out of the oven with nothing but a towel. When I do that...yowza.

The Dishes on the Food Network are cold and the Chefs must pretend they are hot (With the exception of Racheal Ray and her 30 minutes meals).
They even sample the food cold sometimes and smile even though it tasts like **** cold.

 

[Silver]

I guess that makes sense, never really thought of it that way!

 

[ironchef]

The Dishes on the Food Network are cold and the Chefs must pretend they are hot (With the exception of Racheal Ray and her 30 minutes meals).
They even sample the food cold sometimes and smile even though it tasts like **** cold.

You must not watch Molto Mario very often. His plates may be cold but many of his other cooking equipment that he is using on each episode is very hot, not to mention the hot food that he handles with his bare hands.

 

[Corey123]

The Dishes on the Food Network are cold and the Chefs must pretend they are hot (With the exception of Racheal Ray and her 30 minutes meals).
They even sample the food cold sometimes and smile even though it tasts like **** cold.

How do you know this for sure?

What about the food that's cooked on top of the stove? Can you say the same thing?


~Corey123.

 

[Diane1415]

I was refering to the ones pulled out of the oven

 

[Claire]

My husband thinks I have asbestos fingers, and I cannot use a dish towel as a pot holder without burning my fingers and setting the towel on fire. I think that day in, day out kitchen work like a pro does builds up resistance. I use an oxy-based cleaner and very hot water to get out most stains in my towels. I buy the towels in bulk, so I can have a stack of clean ones at hand.