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Whenever I cook hot dogs in the microwave they invariably split and/or burst open. I've tried shortening the cooking time, but haven't found a happy medium where they are thoroughly cooked, but remain unmutilated.

Is there some trick to cooking them in a microwave without this happening?

JohnFx
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    Tangentially related: the USDA says, "Although hot dogs are fully cooked, those at increased risk of foodborne illness should reheat hot dogs and luncheon meat until steaming hot before eating, due to the threat of listeriosis." http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/hot_dogs/index.asp – Preston Mar 20 '13 at 17:07

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Poke them with a fork in a few places. This will let the steam out in a controlled manner and prevent bursting.

or, even better, skip the microwave and boil them in a pan over the stove.

Cos Callis
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    Good suggestion. However, I think I'll stick to the microwave because I'm not eating a hot-dog if I'm going to the trouble of "cooking". Also, boiled hot dogs always tasted nasty to me. – JohnFx Dec 20 '11 at 03:18
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    @JohnFx: Issues of taste aside, I really don't think that boiling water somehow puts a meal into a different tier; I wouldn't call Easy Mac or Ramen noodles *cooking* but they're both stovetop meals. – Aaronut Dec 20 '11 at 06:49
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    When I want a hot dog, I'm not patient enough for water to boil. Otherwise I'd make Ramen or Easy mac instead. =) – JohnFx Dec 20 '11 at 08:31
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    You can also try turning down the power level on the microwave, though of course it'll take longer to heat them. Alternatively, put the split side down in the bun :-P – derobert Dec 21 '11 at 18:26
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Score them (cut slits in them).

JSideris
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I always cut a shallow incision down the whole shaft, put it in the microwave, and watch until it starts to 'bloom'. Usually 45sec-1min

phil
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Put hotdogs in a pot of water on the stove and then wait for it to come to a boil. It's not really cooking and the hotdog won't split this way. If you boil the water first you might over cook it. There's really no way to screw up if you use this method.

Bob
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  • This answers the more general question of how to cook hot dogs, but the question was specifically about how to cook them in the microwave. I'm not one for down-voting new people who might not be familar with the system here, but there are plenty of others on here who might. Please don't take it personally; they're just marking that your response doesn't answer the question. – Joe Aug 05 '13 at 02:21
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    I'm going to go ahead and leave this answer, because I think it's a potentially useful suggestion, even though as Joe said you haven't actually answered the question. (It's much faster than boiling the water first, so someone using the microwave purely to save time might still like it.) – Cascabel Aug 05 '13 at 02:35
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Introduce the hot dog in a high glass of water in the microwaves.

doctoraw
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    Never heard of this - why would it help? (Hot dogs also burst in a pot of boiling water on the stove) – rumtscho Jan 03 '12 at 14:06
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I roll it up in a paper towel for 30sec. It depends on the range though....40 sec will make my dog lose its head.

Ichiban Otousan
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When I want a hot dog, I like to split it down the center, place some thin sliced cheese in it and wrap it with fully cooked bacon, secure with toothpick and set microwave for 30 seconds.

Susan Elaine Graves
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  • Since the original question states that they want the hot dogs unmutilated, I don't know that this really works as an answer. – SourDoh Jul 12 '14 at 14:34
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Try poking holes in them with a fork or a skewer, or otherwise make small openings, so that steam from inside can be released without blowing apart the hot dog.

Or, try boiling it in water over the stove. I personally prefer hot dogs this way.

adrian
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Just punch some holes before cooking em..and itll be fine.. ;)

Rowan
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    Welcome to Seasoned Advice! Just FYI, you're unlikely to get many upvotes for an answer like this, because several other people have already suggested it. You'll fare better with answers offering something new :) – Cascabel Sep 10 '13 at 16:10