4 Slot Hot Dog and Bun Toaster

As grandparents, I'm always looking for unique gifts that we can buy for our one and only grandchild. I came across this and thought, just what a novel gift for a 12-year old who is learning slowly, how to prepare some food for himself. This is one of those cases.We bought this for him, for Christmas. THe expression on his face was simply priceless. Even his mother did not realize that he was getting this for Xmas. We also gave him a package of hot dogs and buns. He was so excited by it, he has to open it up right away and he prepared FOUR of them!He continues to use this hot dog cooker. He simply loves it!PROS: Oscar Myers! Well made, easy to use (even a 12-year old can use it without directions!)CONS: None noted at the time of this review

Bought for my father in law that eats a hotdogs for lunch almost everyday. It started as a joke gift but he absolutely loves it! It's the only way he makes his hotdogs anymore! He says it crisps the dog and bun just right and it really quick and easy to use. Clean up is very minimal. Works really well and has a nice vintage design and small enough to leave on the counter.

Cooks hot dogs well. It does burn the edges of the bun some, but it doesn’t taste burned. I like it and use it often.

GREAT gift for all hot dog lovers. Honestly, even if you don't like hot dogs, this thing is still badass. You'll impress all your guests with this bad boy. Best use of technology in centuries.

When I saw this product I had to have it. This is the most amazing thing since hot water as far as I am concerned. I got it the day after I ordered it. After reading all the negative reviews I could find here is how I approached using the product.1) Smokes during first few uses-I turned the knob to 5 and let it perform a burn-in cycle with nothing in it. Instructions say to not operate without at least 1 hotdog and bun. But in my opinion if it can't survive 1 cycle it would need to be returned as POS. Burn-in worked fine and it did smoke like a bingo player at first, then it stopped. Subsequent uses were smoke free with no odor/taste effect on the food.2) Bun burning along edges-Yes it burned the buns along the edge and was heavier from the top of the toaster down. But after a bit of carbon buildup on the inside it no longer burns the bun and I do cook on number 5. The buns need to be regular sized. I also noticed that most buns, I tried 3 brands, are baked/sliced in such a way that one end is more tapered and I place them into the toaster tapered end up.3) Hotdog expands in holder and is hard to get out-Yes it does on fat hotdogs. Also over cooking causes the hotdogs to split as I discovered when working out the best cook setting. Skinny ones like Oscar Mayer or Nathans or Hebrew National have no problem. I tried 6 different brands all beef brands including Ball Park and Bar S and some generic brand. The BallPark were the worst case of the bubch but I got them out without too much carnage. Overall they all cooked great at setting of 5. I prefer my hotdogs either hot or cold but not in between.4) Cheaply made with plastic-It was only $20. However the plastic housing makes it cool to the touch. Key points are it works very well and is easy to clean up.In conclusion, I think my organs are failing from all the hotdogs I've eaten the last couple of weeks. Everyone who sees the toaster has a big inner child smile moment and has to try it. It works as advertised. It's inexpensive and its color matches my coffee maker.

Hot dogs come out well done and tasty but the bun side doesn’t always pop up fully

I bought a bulk package of hot dogs but didn't think cooking them through enough. It's summer here, extremely hot, and the air conditioning barely keeps up with the temperatures. So I don't want to cook inside more than I have to. Now I don't like boiled hot dogs at all, and in the past got by with cooking them on a buttered cast iron skillet on the stovetop. But that won't do if there is any other option where I can get the heat outside.Reading reviews of folks' experiences, I came to the conclusion that the small-scale roller hot dog cookers weren't all that great for clean-up. A small roller cooker was what I was hoping for.Enter this toaster-hot-dog-cooker in my searches, and the more I thought about it the more I figured it would work. The price was OK. The reviews were good.I distinctly remember reading a review that someone posted where he/she put the hot dogs in without buns for the first cook, then flipped them and put the bun(s) in for the second cook. That person keeps theirs set to five. I do this as well, but my setting is just before the number four setting.The tongs that come with it will get you started if your grip strength is good, but you'll probably soon tire of them like I did. I searched out tongs with teeth and found a set that work better for the hot-dog-flipping.How I do them:1. hot dogs out of refrig and onto plate, poke a bunch of holes in hot dogs with knife or fork2. 2 hot dogs into the toaster at setting 43. they pop up, use the better "XEVOM Metal Food Tongs" with teeth to flip each dog upside-down4. bun(s) into toaster with the half-cooked two hot dogs5. use those same teethy-tongs to pull everything up and out6. eat7. allow to cool off, then unplug and put the "Slice Toaster Cover, Waterproof, Small Appliance Jacket Bread Toast Maker Dust Cover Compatible for Elite Gourmet ECT2145" cover on it

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I must say I was surprised. I used a #4 setting my bun started burning and I had to I'm glad I had not walked away while I was preparing my dog and bun. It is a toaster oven and it should be watched just for that reason. I wish my hot dog was hotter, I'll try #5 next time. I'm glad I bought it. Would I suggest you buy it, if you like gadgets like I do buy it. It was easy to store in my kitchen cabinet like I said it is a toaster oven. There is nothing cheap about this item. It is study, and worth the money.