Warm dogs.

November 4, 2006 8:09 PM

How can I keep a hotdog warm for hours?

I want to be able to buy some hotdogs at Gray's Papaya and bring them home for someone. The problem is I live on Staten Island (about a 2 hour commute). I'm guessing the foil wrapper and paper bag aren't going to be enough to keep them warm during this time. Or will it? Maybe I could stick them in a thermos? Any ideas?

posted by Venadium to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I think that they'd be fine. Do you want them to be still-hot-piping-fresh from the bag, or just safe? If you wanted to reheat them, you could always throw them in the microwave.
posted by rossination at 8:15 PM on November 4, 2006

Put them in a hot/cold bag. These bags are super inexpensive and can be found at the grocery store. The particular bags I buy don't have a penguin on them, but are basically the same idea. They are under 3 dollars, can be reused, and do a great job at keeping foods really hot or cold. Mine are in the frozen food section. Ask your grocery store, they will know what you are talking about.
posted by LoriFLA at 8:22 PM on November 4, 2006

I think you'd be better off packing them cold and reheating them when you get home. Keeping them hot is more risky in terms of bacteria growing. I'd stick them in a cooler with an ice pack and microwave (or maybe toast) them to reheat when you get home.
posted by decathecting at 8:23 PM on November 4, 2006

Another vote for packing cold and reheating when you get home.

Shame on you. What a dirty, dirty thread title. =P
posted by agregoli at 8:36 PM on November 4, 2006

You should buy them at a place next door. The person you're giving them too won't know the difference and will marvel at how hot and fresh they are. You'll nod and say, "Yup! They are just that good!"
posted by wfrgms at 8:46 PM on November 4, 2006

...better off packing them cold and reheating them...

But the flavour won't be quite the same =)

Second the hold/cold bag idea; you can also find soft insulated "lunch box" type thingies. Heat a couple of ceramic blocks (or bricks) in the oven (or even better, see if the hotdog place will be willing to heat up your ceramic block for you, like put it in one of their ovens). Put the heated blocks into the soft lunchbox, add hotdog, zipper up bag.

(By ceramic block, I mean either something you buy that's supposed to speed up defrosting frozen food; you can find these at supermarkets. Either that, or go to a home improvement/hardware store and see if you can scam/buy a couple of ceramic tiles/whatever.)

I'd imagine it'd still be warm after a couple of hours. If in doubt, put one insulated soft lunchbox inside of another insulated lunchbox. Have one heated ceramic block in one, and the other block in the other.
posted by porpoise at 10:26 PM on November 4, 2006

Mmmm.... Gray's Papaya..... droooooollll....

Anyway, I think the best you're gonna do is a hot/cold bag as advised above. Any attempt to chill/reheat will only end it tears.
posted by spilon at 10:37 PM on November 4, 2006

I used to live on 72nd St., man - not that far from Broadway, either - and the buns were getting soggy by the time I got them into my apartment.

I gotta question the fundamental premise here. Even if they're still warm they're going to lose that inimitable combination of a dry spongy bun and a moist meaty dog.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:44 PM on November 4, 2006

What ikkyu2 said...
So when you get the dog tube have the nice person put wax paper or foil in the bun, then pile on the goods in the foil. Drive as needed, heat inners and outers to temp. Assemble them (dog and stuff in foil inside bun), take a spoon and insert as a dam crosswise. Pull out foil/paper depositing good stuff in warm and not soggy bun. May not look like just made but will be sooo much better.
That is what i would do, in fact if anyone is driveing north from Pinks (215 miles) please bring me a few:)
posted by blink_left at 12:14 AM on November 5, 2006

I guess i did not answer your question. Put it in a cooler then reheat when you arrive. What they said.
posted by blink_left at 12:22 AM on November 5, 2006

I think even if you manage to keep them warm for 2 hours, they will still not be as yummy as eating them fresh.
posted by antifuse at 2:35 AM on November 5, 2006

Switch to Rutt's Hut instead.

And maybe you could steal a Domino's Heatwave or Pizza Hut bag...
posted by disillusioned at 3:13 AM on November 5, 2006

I'm in the "make them cold and then reheat them" camp. Fast food places are required to throw away food after about an hour because of the risk of bacteria. I don't know the exact health risks here, but you may want to consider that there are some.
posted by jdroth at 5:34 AM on November 5, 2006

I'm in the "make them cold and then reheat them" camp. Fast food places are required to throw away food after about an hour because of the risk of bacteria.

Hot dogs, not so much. I've worked at my fair share of places
selling hot dogs which sit on the hot grill for a long time. Hot dogs were the one thing health officials didn't care about our heating time. Working at Target, for example, they regularly sat on the grill for 6-8 hours before the manager came by and made us toss them out.
posted by jmd82 at 8:39 AM on November 5, 2006

Hot dogs, not so much.

Interesting. Must be all of the preservatives! Actually, this is good to know — I grill a lot of dogs at summer gatherings, and they often sit around a while. I worry. Maybe I shouldn't worry so much.
posted by jdroth at 10:56 AM on November 5, 2006