Q&A for How to Boil a Hot Dog

Wait until the water is at a rolling boil. You will see lots of bubbles, some of which are very large.

You can boil frozen hot dogs. They may just need a little longer to cook.

Not stupid at all! When food is cooked with beer/wine, the alcohol is more or less cooked away. You don't really have to worry about getting the kids drunk or anything. Of course, if you want to be extra cautious and avoid the potential for judgmental comments from parents, just skip the beer.

Yes. You don't want melted plastic in your food.

Keep turning the hot dogs with a fork to evenly distribute the heat. Monitor your cooking times and heat.

You don't need to think about it too much. Just fill the pot with enough water to hold the hot dogs -- maybe three inches -- and that will be fine.

You should just slit the hot dog a bit.

No, hot dogs are already cooked, so you're just heating them up. They won't really change color.

Make sure that it is hot in the middle. If it is cold, then let it boil more. It should not take more than a couple minutes using boiling water.

You'll want to make sure there's enough liquid in the pot to cover the hot dogs. Depending on the size and shape of your crock pot, you may not need to fill it completely to cover the hot dogs.

It depends on who you ask, but a hot dog is not generally considered a sandwich.

If you're boiling the hot dogs in water, put the buns in a strainer above the pot. The steam from the hot dogs will make the buns soft and warmed. Halfway through cooking the hot dogs, flip the buns over so that they heat evenly.

Yes, you can.

Anything can be deep-fried. If it's big or dense, you may have to pre-cook it first. For best results on anything deep-fried, make breading for it.

You can cut it open with scissors.

Any band of hot dogs will work if you want them boiled. It really depends on what type of hot dog brand you enjoy eating.

Let them thaw out on your cooking surface for a couple of hours before you cook them.

No, it could be grilled or microwaved instead.

Keep the hot dogs in the pot on the lowest setting to keep warm. Or, turn off the heat but put a lid on the pan, keeping the hot dogs in the warm water in the pot. You can reheat at any time.

After you have boiled it, put it on a grill. It makes your hotdog nice and crispy and avoids the slimy texture of just boiling it.

You could, but you risk overcooking the hot dogs and soaking them to much and no one likes a soggy hot dog (unless you do, then cook it how you like it).

Yes, you can overcook a hot dog. If you boil one for too long, the hot dog would get tough and rubbery. Even longer and it might burst and fall apart.

Yes, but it's best to put them in water that is already boiling, to reduce the chance that the hot dogs spend long enough in the "danger zone" (room temperature and a little bit higher) for harmful bacteria to grow.

The USDA says they're good for up to a week. However, you'll want to store them in an airtight container without liquid. Signs that a hot dog has gone bad include a slimy casing, strange brown or grey coloring, and a sour smell. By the way, you can also freeze hot dogs for 1 - 2 months.

You can either make a small slit in the hot dog or cut off the tip. Check to see if there's steam. If your dog is steaming hot, it's done.

I've only seen one recipe that suggested adding a teaspoon (5 g) of lemon juice. Maybe it's best to try it out on a single hot dog rather than an entire package.

Yes, there are recipes for "Dirty Water Dogs" that use a couple of tablespoons (10 g) of red wine vinegar.

It shouldn't make much of a difference in terms of flavor. Just make sure that the hot dogs reach a steaming-hot temperature.