How to Cook a Hot Dog: Oven, Microwave, Air Fryer & More

Last Updated on 10th March 2022 by

You might think you don’t need to learn how to cook a hot dog. After all, it’s one of the simplest foods to cook. However, I don’t want to assume that everyone knows how to cook this meat, and even if you have some experience cooking hot dogs, there may be a few cooking methods you haven’t tried yet that you might want to test out.

That’s what this article is for- sharing with you all the different methods for how to cook a hot dog no matter what heating option you want to go with.

There are so many different ways to cook a hot dog, so why limit yourself to just one? Let’s dive into some of the best hotdog cooking methods.

How to Cook a Hot Dog in the Microwave

This is the simplest method you can use for cooking hot dogs. It’s fast and easy and there’s no mess to clean up afterwards. That’s what gives microwave cooking a hot dog a big advantage among some of the other methods I’m going to list here.

Just place your hot dog on a microwave-safe plate and cook it for about 15 seconds. Continue cooking in 15-second intervals until the hot dog is fully cooked. Larger ones take longer to cook all the way through.

Once the hotdog is warm to the touch, it’s fully cooked. You can cover the dog with a paper towel if you like, which will reduce spatter and keep you from having to clean up the microwave as much.

How long to cook a hot dog in the microwave? You only need to give it a few seconds. Cooking hot dogs for too long in the microwave will cause them to split open and explode.

That’s why I suggest 15-second intervals. Check the hotdog after every 15 seconds to see if it’s done cooking.

How to Cook a Hot Dog on the Stove

The stovetop method is up next, and this is pretty simple as well. You just need a frying pan and your hot dogs.

The pan doesn’t need to be heated up ahead of time, nor do you need to add any oil to cook hot dogs on the stove. Just toss your hotdogs into the frying pan and cook on medium heat for about 45 seconds, then pick up the hot dog with tongs and flip it over to the other side for another 45 seconds or so.

Once the hot dog is browned own all sides, it’s done cooking. It doesn’t have to brown that’s all, though. If it just cooks long enough to warm up and be hot to the touch, then that’s good enough.

How to Cook Hot Dog in the Oven

If you like how simple and clean microwaving a hotdog is, you will love baking hot dogs in the oven.

For this method, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Then, place your hotdogs onto the lined pan and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

You know the hot dogs are done cooking when they start to sizzle. If you have a lot of hot dogs baking at once, they’ll take longer to cook than one or two hot dogs. Larger, thicker hot dogs need a longer cooking times as well compared to thin wieners.

Some people like their hot dogs to have a brown exterior, and if that’s your preference, then let them cook a little longer in the oven before you take them out.

How Long to Cook Hot Dog in Toaster Oven?

If you wonder about cooking hot dogs in a toaster oven, you’ll use a different method from how you cook them in a conventional oven.

You probably want to make some small slits in the hotdogs to vent them before putting them into the toaster oven. Make sure your oven is preheated as well. Set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for cooking hot dogs.

When the toaster oven is fully heated, you can place the hotdogs on a tray or rack inside the oven. Hot dogs typically take 10 minutes to cook in a toaster oven, but your results may vary based on how thick the hot dogs are, how many you’re cooking, and the settings on your toaster oven. It’s a good idea to check the hot dogs a couple minutes before the 10-minute mark to make sure they’re not overcooking.

You’ll also want to flip them halfway through the cooking time so that they brown on two sides and cook more evenly.

How Long to Cook a Hot Dog on Grill?

Cooking hot dogs on the grill takes a little more work, but it can be worth it for those wonderful char marks that give hot dogs their classic look.

Just fire up your grill and wait until it’s heated to put the hotdogs directly onto the grill. For diagonal grill marks, make sure your hotdogs are lying on the grate at an angle. Allow them to cook for about a minute on each side, picking them up with tongs so you don’t burn yourself.

How to Cook Hot Dog in Air Fryer

Let’s finish off with quick little bit of instruction for cooking hot dogs in the air fryer. This is a great way to make foods like hot dogs quickly and simply without needing to use bunch of artery-clogging oil.

You’ll want to begin by preheating the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, put the hotdogs into the fryer basket and allow them to cook for three minutes. There’s no need to turn them over while they’re cooking, as they should cook fairly evenly on every side.

If you want, you can cook your buns at the same time. They should be put into the fryer basket and cook for about 2 minutes.

And that gives you a number of different ways to cook your hot dogs. If you’re looking to cook them in a way you haven’t tried before, you have a few options to work with.

Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!

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