Cooking Hot Dogs In Microwave

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Many people suggest cooking a hot dog directly in the microwave, possibly wrapped in a paper towel or something, but this results in very uneven cooking of the hot dog so that it usually splits and/or dries out in spots. Not good. This method results in a good hot dog every time, cooks evenly, and is nearly as quick.

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1

Take a fork and stick it into one or two hot dogs about a quarter of the way from the end at a good angle so that the fork's handle lies parallel to the hot dog for 3/4 of the hot dog's length. The fork must be long enough that the handle is longer than the hot dog.
2

Put the hot dog into a microwave safe plastic or glass tumbler that is taller than the hot dog, but not the fork.

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3

Fill the glass up with COLD water to cover the hot dog (but not the fork). It is important that the water be cold (since the hot dog out of the fridge will also be cold) so that it doesn't boil early and not cook the hot dog.
4
Put the glass into the microwave. IMPORTANT: The fork must not be able to come in contact with any part of the microwave or it could spark. If the microwave has a turn table make sure the fork won't contact any part of the microwave while it is turning.
- The point of the fork in the hot dog is to hold the hot dogs under the water so that the end of the hot dogs don't get over cooked by being out of the water and getting direct exposure to microwaves (which most hot dogs will do since they will float in the water).
- No, putting a metal fork in the microwave will not hurt your microwave. If the fork touches the side of a running microwave it may spark and damage the fork or the metal shell of the microwave, but as long as you prevent this it is perfectly safe.
5

For one hot dog cook on high two minutes, for two hot dogs cook three minutes. Adjust for the strength of your microwave. When the water boils for 20-30 seconds the hot dog is done.
6
Carefully remove the glass from the microwave, it will be hot since it contains boiling water.
- Grasp the fork with a hot pad to take out all the hotdogs.
7

If you like warm hot dog buns put them in the microwave for 10 seconds.
8

Use the fork to move the hot dog or hot dogs to their buns.
9

Finished.

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Question

How much power should I put the microwave on when boiling the hot dogs?

Set the microwave to full power.
Question

Can't you just use a bowl?

Of course! Just make sure that it's a microwaveable bowl.
Question

Do I have to use a fork?

You don't have to use a fork. In fact you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. If you would like you can use a spoon, spork, or your hands. Just be careful not to burn yourself.

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Make sure the fork does not touch the side of the running microwave, as it may spark and damage the fork or the metal shell of the microwave. As long as you prevent this it is perfectly safe.
Do not cook the buns in the microwave at the same time as the hot dogs. Cooking bread in the microwave causes the gluten to plasticize when the water is steamed from the bread. So, you want to heat bread very gently.
You may use a plastic fork in this process as long as it's heavy enough to keep the hot dog under water (that's the only role for the fork, any other method of keeping the hot dog submerged so that no part of the dog gets direct contact with microwaves will work).

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It should be impossible to super-heat the water given that you have both a hot dog and a fork in the water, but if you cook the water more than the specified time and it refuses to boil you should take extreme care when removing the container as it may have super-heated and could boil as soon as you jostle the container.

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