those drying mats: useful or waste of money?

[Kalmia]

I wonder what the advantage is vs. a plain terry towel laid flat with
dishes on it. Those mats are one more thing to dry itself and
store.

Anyone see any benefit to be derived?

[James Silverton]

I use a kitchen towel for mugs and wineglasses that don't seem to dry
completely. It's not really a terry towel but it's the same idea and I
also use it as a oven mitt.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not" in Reply To.

[Janet Wilder]

I use a drying mat in our little RV. There really isn't room for a dish
drain and the drying mat on top of the stove cover works perfectly for
drying a few items. Since the material in the drying mat dries quickly,
I think it's better than putting a terry dish towel there.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

[jmcquown]

On 3/12/2013 1:21 PM, Kalmia wrote:

I'm not sure if you're talking about putting some sort of rubber mat vs.
a terrycloth towel under a verticle dish drainer. Please elaborate.

Jill

[Kalmia]

These are stiffish pads, prob. foam inside, and covered with terry.
Supposedly, they are more absorbent.

[Kalmia]

Does it dry pretty fast flat, or do you have to hang it in the air on
a hook so that both sides are exposed to the air? The last thing I
want is to hang a damp mat under my sink.

[Pico Rico]

"Kalmia" <tween...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
news:46183cba-869d-4612...@p5g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...

looks like a solution in search of a problem to me.

[Robert Klute]

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:37:21 -0700, "Pico Rico" <Pico...@nonospam.com>
wrote:

It is, but my wife likes them because she knows her sloppy husband/chef
is not going to grab them when he needs a kitchen towel fast.

[jmcquown]

So your wife doesn't have to search far for a problem? ;)

Jill

[Janet Wilder]

It dries pretty fast. Of course in the RV I just leave it on top of the
stove cover as there isn't any place to hang it. Our RV is pretty small.

[Kalmia]

On Mar 12, 5:06 pm, Robert Klute <robert_kl...@hp.com> wrote:
my wife likes them because she knows her sloppy husband/chef

> is have not going to grab them when he needs a kitchen towel fast.

Tell 'er she's lucky to have a husband who cooks!!

I guess I have sufficiently been talked out of those mats.

[Cheryl]

On 3/12/2013 1:21 PM, Kalmia wrote:

I use one mostly because I bought it on sale at some outlet and once I
started using it, I like it. At the same place I found a pet placemat
made out of the same absorbent material, and I use it under the water
dish for my cats that I keep in the dining room. Hardwood floors so I
like that it soaks up any drips and it also has a non-skid underside.

[sf]

Those padded cloth things? DD doesn't like hers.

I use bar mats and love them - but I have to use more than one and
would rather have a single mat. Hubby found something similar that he
put under the kitchen sink, but he can't give me any details about
where he bought it or what it was labeled as. It's too thin to be a
doormat, but it's big like one. If I knew what to look for, I'd get
another one, cut it down to use as my drying rack and put the bar mats
back downstairs where they belong.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

[pltrgyst]

On 3/12/13 4:32 PM, Kalmia wrote:

> These are stiffish pads, prob. foam inside, and covered with terry.
> Supposedly, they are more absorbent.

They are, but they don't allow air to circulate within an inverted
vessel very well.

Up here in VA, for many years, I've been using bar mats. You know, the
kind with a surface of thousands of little rubber nubs.

Specifically, red and black Bacardi mats, because I love bats. 8;)
They're decorative -- at least to most guys -- and they stay up on the
raised counter behind the sink. They work great, and run through the
dishwasher about once a year.

I bought one of the microfiber cloth/foam type about two months ago for
the new house in FL. It just doesn't work as well. It's fine as a drain
mat, before towel drying, but it doesn't allow things to dry inside.

I've already restricted its use to that first minute or two after
something is rinsed. Then I move things onto the closest thing I've
found yet to an actual bar mat -- the grey silicone raised wavy line
drying mats that Oxo sells in big box stores: http://tgt.biz/12NmeJE

-- Larry

[merryb]

I bought one for that very purpose in out tent trailer- glad to hear
it is working well for you. I also recently bought a little dish
drainer that came in a little wash tub at Ikea that will go in there
also.

[Julie Bove]

"Kalmia" <tween...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
news:46183cba-869d-4612...@p5g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...

I have no clue what they even are. I have a dish rack with a plastic tray
under it. Is it different than that?

[Brooklyn1]

jay wrote:

>I have a couple. Advantages not many but it doesn't work well for a dish
>towel so it stays in place. Thicker than a towel, somewhat neater
>looking that a stained dish rag. (yep a lot of mine are stained) I
>could take it or leave it but lean toward keeping 'em.

What exactly is a "drying mat" and what does it dry?

[pavane]

"Brooklyn1" <grave...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:3t01k8p70ls44ih45...@4ax.com...

Dishes. Among many others,

<http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-18-Inch-Microfiber-Drying-Cream/dp/B008VD7VAA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363190210&sr=8-3&keywords=drying+mat>
or
<http://tinyurl.com/al8buov>

pavane

[Brooklyn1]

They should call it a germ breeder.

[Cheryl]

On 3/13/2013 1:28 PM, jay wrote:

> Looks like a ~20 inch square hot pad. Mine have some surface texture and
> they dry out quite rapidly. It doesn't dry anything but just absorbs
> drips and drops from whatever hand washed dinnerware or utensils you
> place on it. It's a bath mat for the kitchen countertop.

Right! I use mine as a hot pad, too, since it's usually on the
countertop.

[z z]

I never liked the standard dish drainers that fit down in the sink-too
small etc. I bought those white plastic Rubbermaid bins that stack and
have solid bottoms but square checkerboard air holes on the sides. I use
a smaller one for the silverwear utensils and a larger one for plates
pots etc and then a long narrow one stacks on one side of the top for my
little bowls glasses etc. I drilled drainage holes in the long narrow
one and I placed a stainless steel rack down in the bottom of the large
one to elevate everything above any collected water. You have to be
there :-)

I have seen those cushiony absorbent pads and they might come in handy
after a party when you have an overabundance of glasses etc and no room
in your regular drainer and want to just use countertop space.

Of course, if you have a dishwasher I can't see needing it unless
washing fine china by hand.

[pavane]

"Brooklyn1" <grave...@verizon.net> wrote in message

news:6ms1k8lgom2kis8ng...@4ax.com...

One consolation. My cat loved it, took it over at first sight.
I have no idea how it works as a drying mat, but as a cat-mat
it is wonderful, if not a bit pricey.

pavane

[sf]

My DD has some sort of rack over hers, so the items don't sit directly
on the mat. Haven't focused on what it is because I don't like those
mats to begin with, so I don't remember - but I think it is something
like this
http://img3.targetimg3.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/11/01/11010209.jpg

[nannasin28]

I also use it as a
oven mitt.

:P :P