If you’re interested, try steaming hot dogs to save yourself a few dishes! You can use the same pot and steaming basket for both the dogs and the buns. Be careful while working with boiling water! Never touch the pot with your bare hands.
Use a colander placed inside the pot; check that the water is low enough that it won’t come through the holes and touch the buns. Place an oven-safe bowl upside down in the bottom of the pot. Then, set a plate on top of the bowl, making sure it’s about 2–3 inches (51–76 mm) above the water. [3] X Research source Lay a pair of chopsticks over the pot and set the buns on top of the chopsticks. [4] X Research source Hold the bun with a pair of tongs over the boiling water until it’s thoroughly warmed.
You could open the buns and place them facedown in the steamer to get the insides warm. Warm the buns as the last step in your meal prep. If you steam them before you cook the dogs, the buns will cool off before you can enjoy them. While you might cover hot dogs or vegetables with a lid while they steam, skip that step with the hot dog buns. As steam hits the lid, it turns back into condensation and could drip down onto your buns, making them soggy rather than soft.
Steamed buns are best enjoyed before they cool off.
Some microwave-steaming methods skip this step and still end up with great results! Try it with and without the mug of water to see which way you prefer. There’s no need to wash that bowl afterward! Simply dry it off and put it away once you’re done with your meal. Always be careful when removing items from the microwave. Use a kitchen towel or oven mitt so you don’t accidentally burn yourself.
Soggy buns are no fun—they tend to fall apart and don’t have a pleasing texture.
You can cook more than 1 bun simultaneously; just make sure the buns aren’t touching so that they warm evenly.
This is a super-quick method! You can have buns prepared for your hot dogs in less than 2 minutes.
Depending on your microwave, you may need to add 5 seconds to the cooking time if the bun doesn’t feel warm enough.
