by Greg Walker

Created on: January 15, 2009   Last Updated: January 28, 2009

The Hot Dog Toaster is not a new product - items like this have been in hardware stores for no less than forty years. Superficially, it seems like a cool idea: You put your buns in two slots shaped to hold buns opened at about a forty-five degree angle, and you put two hot dogs in cylindrical openings shaped for them, then you push the button down, and a couple of minutes later you have two warm buns and two roasty, toasty and delicious hot-dogs! What could be wrong with that?

First the bad news: This device takes up about a cubic foot on your counter and it is one-trick pony - it does nothing else other than roast hot-dogs and warm buns. The hot-dogs do come out warm, but, to my tastes, they are better warmed in a skillet or in boiling water. The skillet method gets you some nice caramelization on the sausage surface, enhancing the flavor, and the water method gets you a thoroughly hot hot-dog, either of which is a better option. Because the heating elements in this device are similar to those in a typical, inexpensive toaster, they do not generate the heat necessary to produce a really well toasted wiener - if your meat drawer in your refrigerator is really cold, as it should be, the hot-dogs out of this device come out a bit tepid. The buns come out acceptably, though not as toasted as you might hope for coming out of a toaster.

Also, if you are a fan of premium grade hot-dogs, the ones that are actually hot-dog shaped, as opposed to perfectly straight mass-market style wieners, they will not allow this toaster to function. Do not even think of using this with thick sausages of any type as they will jam the toaster up before they eject. This device is made for the perfectly straight, modern, mass-market weenies.

Finally, how many hot-dogs can you eat? Personally, I do not have the counter space to devote to something that performs one task that is this mundane. If you have to store the toaster in the cupboard, you have undermined most of its convenience factor, which is really what this device is all about. By the time you pull the toaster out and plug it in, you may as well just put a pot of water to boil or fire up a skillet. Or, for that matter, pop the weenies into the microwave.

The upside? If you are a college student living on a budget that restricts you to buns and Oscar Meyer Wieners, it is a no-thought way of grabbing a quick meal, as long as you don't tire of weenies and buns. As an alternative to spending a fortune on fast-food, this is a means of keeping to a strict budget, and will save you a fortune in McDonald's receipts. If you are a mom with a couple of tweens who still dig the weenies for lunch, this might take some of the responsibilities off your hands, allowing them a degree of self-sufficiency at lunch time. Otherwise, for an adult household, I truly cannot recommend this device.

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