Win the family cookout with perfectly cooked hot dogs

Hot dogs from a microwave, slow cooker, air fryer, and grill in Studio 45 at NPR headquarters. Ayesha Rascoe hide caption toggle caption Ayesha Rascoe Preparing a hot dog is simple enough. But what is the best way to cook this summertime staple? Chef Kenji López-Alt, the James Beard Award winner and cookbook author, has some advice. It all starts in the supermarket. "Look for a hot dog that has a natural casing," he said. Natural casings are made of lamb skins and give hot dogs a bit of a curve, while the hot dogs without casing pack flat into the package. "That's what's going to give you the snap no matter how you cook it," López-Alt said. As far as how to cook a hot dog, there are about as many opinions as there are home cooks. Boil them in water? Roast them over a fire with a stick? We investigated a few methods for cooking hot dogs just right. A quick fix for when you need a hot dog NOW The best flavor emerges with time, according to Kenji López-Alt. "Low and slow is always a good idea with any kind of sausages," he said. Ayesha Rascoe, however, confessed to cooking "hot and fast. And burnt." As fast as a microwave might be, it did not exactly win in our testing. We wrapped the hot dog in a paper towel and cooked it for 45 seconds. But it was a mess. The skin split, the ends were shriveled, and the texture was limp. While not his preferred method, López-Alt conceded that microwaves have their place in any kitchen with kids. …