Imagine being on a quest. Not for the holy grail or an undiscovered land, but for the ultimate way to cook a hot dog. An odyssey, if you will, all while being serenaded by the sizzle of PNP Frankfurters – a quartet of them, each demanding a ransom of R64.99 from my wallet.
So, I armed myself with the weapons of culinary combat: a pot, a grill, an air fryer, and a microwave. As you can guess, things got heated.
First up, the innocuous microwave, that box of radiant light. Turns out, it’s a tricky beast. Shoving a frankfurter in there only resulted in a pitifully soggy specimen, not unlike a well-worn loofah. So, that’s a ‘no’ from me and the microwave, which I swear, gloated a little.
Grilling, however, was a different tale. If hot dogs could write memoirs, every one of them would yearn for a life spent lounging on the grill. The dogs came out juicier than an overripe peach, the epitome of barbecue nirvana.
Let’s rewind to the boiling experiment, which was as exciting as watching paint dry. Sure, the hot dogs bobbed around in the pot like a trio of chubby synchronized swimmers, but the end result was, well, yawn-inducing. They emerged from the depths blander than unseasoned tofu, with none of the glorious crispiness one hopes for in a hot dog.
Air frying was an unexpected surprise, a bit like finding a forgotten note in an old pair of jeans. Preheating to a scorching 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the air fryer set to work. Three minutes later, I was blessed with frankfurters that could only be described as crunchy, juicy, and downright mouthwatering.
Grilling was next on my list. My Dyna-Glo grill roared into life and the hot dogs began their delicious tango with the flames. The result was like a culinary standing ovation; juicy, flavourful franks encased in a crispy, smoky skin that would make a bacon rasher jealous.
Finally, I tried the microwave again. Why? Because hope springs eternal, my friend. But, alas, it was not to be. Individually wrapping each hot dog in a paper towel and microwaving them one minute at a time made me feel less like a chef and more like a daycare worker at nap time. After all that fuss, they still lacked the crispiness of their grilled and air-fried compadres.
So, in conclusion, grilling was the champion of this hot dog cook-off. The exquisite blend of flavour and texture was truly unrivalled. Boiling and microwaving were like the underperforming cousins at a family gathering, unable to compete with grilling and air frying. And while I wouldn’t mind a rendezvous with the air fryer again, it’ll only be a party of one.
