Learn to Boil Hot Dogs in 5 Easy Steps

How popular hot dogs have become over the decades! You will find a hot dog vendor on every corner of every street, selling your favorite dog just the way you like it. But how do you like them? Roasted, fried, baked, or boiled?

Tip

While cooking a sausage, do not puncture it. The juices will run out, making it tough and dry.

Nothing compares to that self-satisfactory feeling when you cook something that tastes just the way you get it at a vendor or restaurant. Even if it is a simple snack that hits the right spot on your eagerly waiting taste buds, and you can feel the world, problems, stress, and anxieties, all melt away with every single bite that you take. This is more so if your comfort food is the classic simple hot dog, with whatever toppings your heart desires; from simple mustard, ketchup, onions, tomatoes, etc., to all-of-the above, and much, much more. Got you hungry, didn’t we?

Making a hot dog isn’t as hard as you may think. And for the calorie conscious side, why deep-fry them when you can boil the dogs? They are every bit as tasty as you can imagine, with an added advantage of them being healthier than the deep-fried version. Want to know how to boil hot dogs? A lot will depend on the size, and if they are fresh or frozen. Frozen ones will take a little while longer to cook, obviously, as they need time to defrost first. Here’s how to boil hot dogs, be it on a burner or in a microwave.

How to Boil Hot Dogs

Cooking Time: 15 minutes (some extra time if the dogs are frozen)

Ingredients
• Hot dogs
• Hot dog buns
• Water (a cup for each sausage)
• Condiment

Step 1
Fill a large saucepan with water. It should be enough to cover the hot dogs easily. Use a larger pan so that the water will not fall out when you immerse the dogs in it.

Step 2
Place the pan on a burner and turn the heat to high. Let the water come to a full boil.

Step 3
Once the water is boiling, immerse the dogs one by one with the help of tongs.

Step 4
Turn the burner down to low, and simmer the dogs for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on how you like them cooked. For a moist and soft hot dog, simmer them for around 3 to 4 minutes. For a crispy type, simmer them for around 5 to 6 minutes.

Step 5
After they are cooked, with the help of the tongs, remove them from the water and dry them off on a paper towel, before placing them in buns. Serve the hot dogs with your favorite condiments, such as cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion, relish, sauerkraut, tomato, etc.

Tip

Defrost the sausages to room temperature beforehand to save on cooking time.

How to Boil Hot Dogs in a Microwave

Cooking Time: Depends on the microwave oven (around 5 minutes extra if they are frozen)

Ingredients
• Hot dogs
• Hot dog buns
• Water (sufficient to cover the sausages)
• Condiment

Step 1
Place a few sausages in a microwave-safe bowl. Use a glass, rather than a metal bowl. Use a bowl that is deep enough to hold them comfortably.

Step 2
Cover the dogs with water. Leave an inch or so on the top. as it may boil over the sides and create a mess.

Step 3
Place the bowl in the microwave. Cook the hot dogs for 2 to 3 minutes. Larger ones may need more time in the microwave. Pause the microwave and rearrange the dogs, add a little more water if you feel that they are going dry, and start the microwave again. Increase the time if they aren’t cooked as per your liking.

Step 4
Remove the sausages from the microwave and drain the water. Use tongs and not your hands, and place them in a dish. Let them sit for 30 seconds to cool and dry off.

Step 5
Once they are dry, place them in buns. Serve the hot dogs with your favorite condiments, such as cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion, relish, sauerkraut, tomato, etc.

Try This Little Trick

Cooking Time: 20 minutes (some extra time if the dogs are frozen)

Ingredients
• Hot dogs
• Hot dog buns
• Water (to cover half the sausages)
• Butter
• Condiment

Step 1
Boil water in a shallow skillet. Heat the water till it begins to steam. The water should cover only half the sausages.

Step 2
With half of them covered with water, let them cook evenly.

Step 3
Allow the sausages to steam as the water boils off completely. Keep a close eye so that they don’t burn.

Step 4
Add a spoonful of butter per hot dog. Roast them till they begin to blister into shades of golden. Again, do not let them burn.

Step 5
Serve the hot dogs with your favorite condiments.

Not that you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, you can serve these sausages in a whole new avatar. Cut them into slices or chop them up into smaller bits, and shallow-fry them with garlic and chilli-flake-infused oil, to give them that extra kick.

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