Hot dogs are quick and easy to prepare, a favorite of young and old, and easy enough to eat. You can enjoy them plain, or pile your bun high with all of your favorite toppings. Forever causing debates on what the best condiments are, what isn’t up for debate is that hot dogs are a crowd pleaser.
If you’ve got a few too many hot dogs to handle, though, you could end up with leftovers. When you’re ready to move forward and eat up the rest of your hot dogs, how do you reheat hot dogs?
There are a lot of ways to reheat hot dogs. A fast and convenient way is to use the microwave. You can also use a skillet, either refrying in in a bit of oil, or steaming it with water. The best thing to remember when reheating a hot dog is that you should heat the bun and meat separately.
How To Reheat Hot Dogs
In The Microwave
To reheat hot dogs in the microwave, you’ll have to do a little bit of work first if you want the best possible results.
- First, you’ll need to remove any of the toppings and condiments, and take the hot dog out of the bun if it was in one.
- Wrap the meat in a damp paper towel and set it on a microwave safe plate. Start off with 15 seconds, and then check the temperature. You might need a few rounds of reheating to bring it back to life.
- Now, take the hot dog out and wrap the bun in a separate damp paper towel. Try not to use one that is too wet, as you don’t want to get it soggy.
- Heat the bun for a 15 second interval as well. This will likely take far fewer tries than the hot dog.
Once the bun and dog are completely warmed to your liking, you can reassemble the hot dog and dig in.
It’s best to do the hot dog and the bun separately, as the bread will heat up much faster than the actual meat will. Using a wet paper towel on the bun will create steam, making the bun nice and soft again. That is ideal if the bun had gotten a bit stale.
This method is very convenient, and perfect for a single hot dog.
On The Stove
If you’re willing to go the extra mile, using the stovetop is the best way to reheat a hot dog. There are two ways to go about it: you can fry it in a bit of oil, or you can steam it.
Just as with the microwave, you’re going to want to do the bun and sausage separately.
Refrying
For the oil method, put a small drizzle of oil into a saucepan and let it warm. You can also use melted butter if you desire. Once the oil is warmed, add your hot dog. Turn it frequently, allowing it to brown evenly.
This should only take about five minutes. After the hot dog is done, set it aside on a plate and introduce your bun, cut side down, into the pan. Let it toast for a minute or two.
After that, you’re ready to reassemble the hot dog. The skin should be nice and crispy, not to mention full of flavor from the oil. It will have a nice ‘snap’ to it when you bite, which a lot of people love to have in a hot dog.
Steaming
If you’d prefer a method that uses a bit less fat, you can steam the hot dog to bring it back to life. All you need to do is set the hot dog in a thin layer of water in your frying pan. Hit the heat up to medium and cover the pan.
Let the hot dog steam for 2-3 minutes. It won’t require much more time than that to get nice and hot.
Repeat that step with the bun. You’ll only need about a minute to get it heated again, especially since the water and pan will already be warm from steaming the hot dog.
Once both parts are rejuvenated, they’re ready to reassemble and eat with your favorite condiments. This method makes the bun moistened and the hot dog nice and juicy. It’s also a bit faster than reheating it in oil.
Other Methods
Of course, there are more than two ways to reheat a hot dog; the kitchen is full of ways that you can bring new life to this ballpark snack.
- The oven is best for large batches of hot dogs, such as for a big party. Scrape off condiments and put the hot dogs into a 350F/180C oven. Sprinkle them with a drizzle of water, and wrap them in foil. This creates steam, and after 5-10 minutes, the hot dogs will be warm.
- If you have a steamer, you can use it to your advantage to reheat hot dogs. Set up your steamer basket as you normally would over boiling water. Then, reheat your franks for 3-5 minutes once the steam is rising. Like with the stovetop steaming method, this will make the meat nice and juicy.
- Air fryers seem like they can do almost anything, and reheating hot dogs is on that list. Place your sausages into the air fryer basket and heat them on 350F/180C for two or three minutes. Give them a turn halfway through so that they’re heated evenly. You can toast the buns in the air fryer as well.
Conclusion
Hot dogs are delicious, nostalgic, and classic. You can whip them up in just a few minutes, and dress them up or down according to your tastes.
To reheat hot dogs, the best way to to it is on the stove in a skillet with a bit of oil. Refrying them like this will make a hot dog that is flavorful, juicy, and nicely crisp. If you prefer, you can also steam your hot dog on the stove, using just a thin layer of water.
The microwave is a perfectly viable resource for hot dog reheating as well, however. It can make it so that you can have your hot dog done in a matter of seconds, ready to enjoy again.
