What’s the Diference?

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what’s the difference

Finally! Clarifcation on some commonly confused household terms.

rose vs.

rose of sharon

A symbol of love and a favorite for bouquets, roses come in hundreds of colors, shapes, and sizes. Often fragrant, they grow on climbing vines and shrubs as far north as Alaska. The rose of Sharon isn’t a rose but a heat-loving hibiscus. This easy-care fowering shrub is known for its hardiness and scentless, trumpet-shaped blossoms, many with a red center.

griddle vs.

grill pan

With a large, fat surface and a low lip for easy fipping, a griddle is ideal for making batches of pancakes and fried eggs. It comes in round, rectangular, and square styles. A grill pan has ridges that elevate food, allowing fat to drain of for lightertasting results. It also creates sear marks like the ones an outdoor grill makes.

antique furniture vs.

vintage furniture

According to federal guidelines, an antique is an object 100 years or older. An antique’s rarity, condition, and level of craftsmanship tend to boost its value. There’s no governmentregulated—or even clear-cut— defnition of vintage. But it usually refers to items that are at least 20 years old and sought after by collectors.

dish towel vs.

tea towel

The no-frills workhorse of the kitchen, a dish towel is mainly used for drying dishes and hands. Choose absorbent, lintfree cotton or linen, which can withstand frequent laundering. Hand-embroidered tea towels were originally just for show. Now they’re mostly massproduced, but they are still primarily used to pretty up a kitchen, not to keep it tidy.

OUR EXPERTS: Justin Bluth, director of marketing at Calphalon; EllynAnne Geisel, author of The Kitchen Linens Book; Susan Littlefeld, horticultural editor at the National Gardening Association; Palmer Pekarek, senior vice president of operations at Ruby Lane