How Long to Boil Hot Dogs
The truth is that hot dogs are fully cooked when purchased. That being said, hot dogs do not need to be boiled at all in order to be cooked… but if you’ve ever tried a cold hot dog, you will probably agree that they must indeed be boiled (or otherwise cooked) before eating!
Hot dogs should become heated through and ready to eat if boiled in water for 3 to 4 minutes.
If cooking for a crowd, the time could be extended to 5 or 6 minutes.
The process that occurs when boiling hot dogs is referred to as osmosis, where water molecules seep through the porous skin into the hot dog. The entering water in turn forces salts and other chemicals within the hot dog to leak out into the boiling water. This process of taking in water forces the hot dogs to “plump”. Many people consider a “plump” hot dog as the visual cue to when the hot dogs are ready. This is fine, as long as the hot dogs are not left to boil for too long.
Over boiling hot dogs will change both the taste, texture and color of the dogs. Once the salts and preservatives are forced from the hot dog, flavor is decreased and the color begins toward greyscale. Once more water is absorbed than the skin can withstand, the dogs will eventually burst open. Popped open boiled hot dogs, unlike popped open grilled hot dogs, are soft and mushy and considered unpleasant to eat by most people.
How to Boil Hot Dogs
1) Fill a pot (or pan) halfway with water and place it on the stove.
2) Once the water boils, carefully add the number of hot dogs desired.
3) When the water returns to a boil (this should just be a few minutes, depending upon the number of hot dogs added to the water and the temperature of the hot dogs when added), continue to boil the hot dogs for about 3 to 4 minutes.
4) Carefully remove the boiled hot dogs with tongs and place them into buns.
Note: Two minutes may be long enough for some tastes and 5 minutes may be fine too, but the general consensus is that 3 to 4 minutes of boiling provides a nicely heated hot dog.
