Hotdoggers + How to choose? (UPDATED)

The hot dog is a classic of any fast food restaurant. This delicacy is irresistible to children and adults alike. With the hot dog machine, you can delight attendees at house parties, children’s parties and even serve you for preparing a quick dinner.

The hot dog making machine is named as hotdog maker. This name is misleading, however, because a classic hot dog is prepared and looks different from the delicacy produced by this appliance.

A proper hot dog should contain vegetables, cheese, and typically special sauces in addition to the sausage or hot dog roll. Thus, a different apparatus is used to prepare the hot dog because the sausage is inserted into a sliced roll or bagel. For this purpose, it is possible to buy a hot dog maker, which grills or toasts the sausage and bread.

The hot dog, as you know it from fast food stands, is prepared by an apparatus which heats the sausage by means of steam, and, by means of a steel tip, digs a hole in the roll into which the hot sausage is afterwards inserted.

The steamer is a simple device and only a few parameters need to be considered when selecting it. These include the volume of the sausage container, the number of skewers, the amount of power input, a quality brand and a reasonable price.

Best hotdog machines

Types

These devices can be divided into two groups according to their use. The smaller version consists of models that you use in the home. Here you can choose from two types of appliance, the first is a sausage maker, which heats the sausages using steam, and the second is a hot dog maker, which fries them. The larger types are more suitable for commercial purposes.

Home

In the home, you can use a sausage maker to prepare a classic hot dog and an appliance to prepare real American hot dogs. Available in many styles and sizes, the sausage makers will serve up to 18 sausages and you can use one or two spikes to prepare hot dogs.

If you want to prepare a true hot dog, you’ll have to settle for the smaller selection of this appliance. The hot dog maker can be compared to a toaster oven. A sausage or sausage can be inserted into the machine. A classic roll or baguette can be used as a pastry. The bread is cut along its entire length before being inserted into the device.

After that, just press the button and within a few minutes everything will pop out for you using the automatic ejection. Then just insert the sausage into the baking dish, top with lettuce, onions, chili peppers, pickles, cheese or whatever else you like and of course add your favorite sauce.

Commercial

For commercial purposes, you can choose from two options offered by the sausage maker. You can purchase the classic form, where you have a larger container for heating and 4 spikes for cooking.

The other option is to purchase a larger type of roaster, which will allow you to prepare a variety of sausages in addition to the classic sausages. And you can also have a separate roast warmer that has several spikes.

A sausage cooker

The size of the sausage cooking pot is the main criterion for selection. There are hot dog cookers available that allow you to prepare 6 – 18 sausages at a time. The size you prefer depends primarily on the size of your family. In case you will be using the machine for family gatherings, a larger container will be worthwhile.

However, the appliance does not have to be used only for heating sausages. The sausages are heated by steam, so that you can prepare, for example, vegetables in the heating vessel. If you have a use for heating food using steam, take this into account when selecting a suitable size of the container.

Baking tip

The various types have one or two spikes available for use in the preparation of pastry. Again, the number of these depends on the needs of each family. If you will be preparing hot dogs for more than one person at a time, two spikes are definitely worthwhile. Professional warmers can have four spikes.

Controls and materials

Even the controls are very simple in this preparation. The cheapest devices have only one button. The more expensive types allow you to heat the sausages and rolls separately. These models thus have two switches. A light signal alerts you when the appliance is switched on.

Sausage warmers are made of several materials. The cheaper models have a body and a container for heating the sausages made of plastic. More expensive appliances are stainless steel and the heating container may be plastic or glass. The cooking spike is steel on all types.

Wattage

The wattage range of these appliances is not very large and is most often between 260 – 450 W. In most appliances, the sausages are ready in 10 minutes. Commercial appliances can have wattages of up to 600 watts or more.

The higher wattage has an effect on power consumption, which is a negligible figure for this appliance. The hot dog maker for real hot dogs has an input power of 650 watts.

Safety and functions

From a safety point of view, it is necessary that the sausage maker is equipped with an overheating safety device. An automatic shut-off function is also an advantage. The non-slip feet prevent a possible fall. The handles prevent possible burns.

Practical features include the possibility of setting the temperature or multiple roasting levels. Some of the more expensive units are also equipped with a thermostat that maintains the temperature inside the heating vessel for some time. Accessories include only an egg holder.

Brand

Steamers are available from brands such as Gallet, Guzzanti, Orava, Sovio, Clatronic, Redfox, Buffalo and more. The throw dog cooker is currently only offered by Ariete.

Maintenance

Maintenance is easy in this case. After the machine has cooled down completely, it can be wiped with a damp cloth. The sausage warming container can be washed in the conventional way, if the manufacturer allows it, you can use a dishwasher.

In order for the appliance to work properly and last a long time, follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using it. Only put the recommended amount of water into the container intended for water. This is marked with a line on most sausage makers. Do not put more sausages in the heating vessel than the vessel is designed for, as this will not heat them up.

Questions and Answers

What are typical recipes for American hot dogs?

The hot dog comes in a variety of forms. The New York one is made with a high-quality beef sausage and the side dish includes sauerkraut often combined with roasted onions and accompanied by a very hot mustard.

In Jersey, they’ll add roasted peppers and potatoes to your side dish. In Chicago, you can enjoy a hot dog made of Vienna sausage, which is embedded in a poppy seed bun. The toppings are a combination of tomatoes, pickles, onions and again, spicy mustard.

There are many recipes to make this delicacy, you can get inspiration from the internet or choose your own recipe.

What is the best feature of a sausage maker?

These products are very simple, and as far as features go, you don’t have much choice. If you can invest a large amount of money in an appliance, choose one that has the ability to regulate the temperature. This will allow you to heat both thin and thick sausages legally.

Conclusion

The casserole dish in which the sausages are heated is still used for home hot dog making, and the skewer market is often replaced by a larger cooker with which to poke a hole in the hot dog. The latter does not serve you quite right and you can also forget about reheating.

In this respect you can rely on some cheaper sausage maker to make the preparation easier. There are also separate heating spikes available. They are made of steel and are equal to or more than the cheaper plastic types. When choosing a sausage maker, think about the number of people the appliance will serve. Choose the size and number of tines accordingly.