Dirty Water Dogs, Days Gone By

[Midlife]

7 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

 

That's like saying all the bread does in a sandwich is hold the filling, when a good sandwich is a melding of all the ingredients - as a matter of fact, there are places in this world where the bread is the most important part of a sandwich.

 

This topic is located in the New York Cooking forum, and is about "dirty water" dogs - a name I've never really applied, and which appears (in this topic) to include not only boiled hot dogs, but griddled and grilled hot dogs as well.

 

I imagine if you asked for your hot dog to be enclosed in a flour tortilla (like, let's say, at Katz's or Grays or Papaya King), they'd be laughing at you, cursing at you, or worse - someone would come out from behind the counter and make you leave.

 

If your hot dog buns are that horrible, disgusting, and bad - there are ways to order good ones on line.  Or simply have the hot dogs on a plate, with some mustard, and call it a day.

I really think you’re misunderstanding me or missing my point, but don’t feel it’s worth pursuing. Just to wrap it up….. is there a brand of hotdog buns, sold in major supermarkets (or available on line) that I should look for?

[Tropicalsenior]

21 minutes ago, Midlife said:

is there a brand of hotdog buns, sold in major supermarkets (or available on line) that I should look for?

I live in Costa Rica so I can't be much help recommending brands, but if you have the time to make them yourself, I highly recommend this recipe for New England Style hot dog buns.

[Kim Shook]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:34 PM, Midlife said:

I really think you’re misunderstanding me or missing my point, but don’t feel it’s worth pursuing. Just to wrap it up….. is there a brand of hotdog buns, sold in major supermarkets (or available on line) that I should look for?

To be honest, I often just choose the store brand, but if they are stocked, I also like the Ball Park brand.  Personally, I'm not a fan of the split top buns for hot dogs, but the regular Pepperidge Farm buns are good.  They should be soft, but not completely squishy.  I hope that helps a little.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:34 PM, Midlife said:

I really think you’re misunderstanding me or missing my point, but don’t feel it’s worth pursuing. Just to wrap it up….. is there a brand of hotdog buns, sold in major supermarkets (or available on line) that I should look for?

 

https://potatorolls.com/products/long-potato-rolls/

 

That said I am very, very sad.  I wish search engines had never been invented.  Martin's potato rolls have long been a staple of my hot dog and Hamberger experience.  I delighted when Kenji affirmed my love of Martin's products.

 

Now my liking of Martin's has all come crashing down.  It is sad but I stand by Kenji on this one.  If you enjoy hotdogs, buy Martin's.  If you prefer to sleep at night, consider other options.

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

https://potatorolls.com/products/long-potato-rolls/

 

That said I am very, very sad.  I wish search engines had never been invented.  Martin's potato rolls have long been a staple of my hot dog and Hamberger experience.  I delighted when Kenji affirmed my love of Martin's products.

 

Now my liking of Martin's has all come crashing down.  It is sad but I stand by Kenji on this one.  If you enjoy hotdogs, buy Martin's.  If you prefer to sleep at night, consider other options.

 

 

I'd try them on your recommendation but I've never seen them around these parts. But why can't you sleep at night? Did they start putting puppy-uppers in them?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

I'd try them on your recommendation but I've never seen them around these parts. But why can't you sleep at night? Did they start putting puppy-uppers in them?

 

Something like that.

 

[scott123]

Treason never tasted so good.

[scott123]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:34 PM, Midlife said:

is there a brand of hotdog buns, sold in major supermarkets (or available on line) that I should look for?

Science has yet to invent a dough conditioner that will prolong the life of bread indefinitely.  But they can keep bread from spoiling for quite a long time.  This being said, regardless of additives, given enough time, all breads stale, and supermarket hot dog rolls are no exception.  

 

When I'm looking for a bun, brand plays a role, but, the freshness date tends to be of greater importance.  I can't speak for today, but, when I was a child, NY hot dog carts had a distribution channel that allowed them to sell buns that were baked in close proximity to when they were served.  When I'm standing in front of the buns at the supermarket, I'm looking for dates that will hopefully get me something that was baked the night before.  This isn't easy, and I don't think dates are standardized between brands, so you can't just pick the best date of all the brands and be assured of the freshest product, but, whenever possible, I strive for something that's right off the truck. I find that when I shop, regardless of whether or not I'm buying buns, I take a quick look at the dates. I do the same with Entenmann's

 

As far as brands go... it's important to remember that flour costs money, so the budget/private label bakers go to great lengths to achieve max volume- which, in return, produces a very fragile and overly airy end product.  You get what you pay for, so don't cheap out.  Personally, I'm pretty fond of Arnold's potato rolls, but that could be regional, and there's a pretty strong subjective aspect to it.

 

Regardless of what bun you go with, steaming is critical, imo.  If I get a fresh bun, I'll typically bring the hot dogs to a boil, bun them, and then put them in a foil envelope for a bit to allow the buns to steam.  If the buns are a bit older, I might lightly mist them with water, wrap them in foil and toss them in a warm oven for a bit.  Water is tricky, though, since it tends to make the outer layer of the bun stick to the foil.  If you're careful with the mist, and have a good sprayer (one that isn't clogged), you can avoid the wetness that causes sticking.  I've played around a little with wetting the buns and then letting them sit for a bit try to let them absorb the moisture, but, so far, I've gotten mixed results.  Really, the easiest approach is to start with a fresh bun.

Edited March 18, 2023 by scott123 (log)

[Midlife]

5 hours ago, scott123 said:

Science has yet to invent a dough conditioner that will prolong the life of bread indefinitely.  But they can keep bread from spoiling for quite a long time.  This being said, regardless of additives, given enough time, all breads stale, and supermarket hot dog rolls are no exception.  

 

When I'm looking for a bun, brand plays a role, but, the freshness date tends to be of greater importance.  I can't speak for today, but, when I was a child, NY hot dog carts had a distribution channel that allowed them to sell buns that were baked in close proximity to when they were served.  When I'm standing in front of the buns at the supermarket, I'm looking for dates that will hopefully get me something that was baked the night before.  This isn't easy, and I don't think dates are standardized between brands, so you can't just pick the best date of all the brands and be assured of the freshest product, but, whenever possible, I strive for something that's right off the truck. I find that when I shop, regardless of whether or not I'm buying buns, I take a quick look at the dates. I do the same with Entenmann's

 

As far as brands go... it's important to remember that flour costs money, so the budget/private label bakers go to great lengths to achieve max volume- which, in return, produces a very fragile and overly airy end product.  You get what you pay for, so don't cheap out.  Personally, I'm pretty fond of Arnold's potato rolls, but that could be regional, and there's a pretty strong subjective aspect to it.

 

Regardless of what bun you go with, steaming is critical, imo.  If I get a fresh bun, I'll typically bring the hot dogs to a boil, bun them, and then put them in a foil envelope for a bit to allow the buns to steam.  If the buns are a bit older, I might lightly mist them with water, wrap them in foil and toss them in a warm oven for a bit.  Water is tricky, though, since it tends to make the outer layer of the bun stick to the foil.  If you're careful with the mist, and have a good sprayer (one that isn't clogged), you can avoid the wetness that causes sticking.  I've played around a little with wetting the buns and then letting them sit for a bit try to let them absorb the moisture, but, so far, I've gotten mixed results.  Really, the easiest approach is to start with a fresh bun.

Great input. Thanks. Spoilage is not an issue. If I have buns left after a couple of days I freeze them. Steaming is a good idea. Typically I’ll microwave for just 5-10 seconds but will try one of your steaming ideas, though I think it might not be worth the effort unless I find a really good bun to work with. 

[weinoo]

Speaking of dirty water dogs and hot dog carts...

 

Last Stand of the Hot Dog King “This is like the Alamo.”

 

Quote

Since he showed up with a cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art nearly 16 years ago, Dan Rossi has been fighting with local officials over his right to sell hot dogs along what is arguably the most lucrative stretch of sidewalk in Manhattan. At the time, in 2007, a vending company was paying the city more than half a million dollars per year for the exclusive right to conduct business outside the museum. Citing a policy that dated back to the Civil War, Rossi argued that, as a disabled veteran, he was exempt from those fees and any necessary permits, and he refused to leave. (Because he wasn’t paying to be there, he kept prices low and undercut the competing stands.) It worked, and by 2009, the patch of land had become so overrun with copycat vendors that the police were forced to clear out the crowds.

 

[Kim Shook]

On 3/18/2023 at 9:33 PM, Midlife said:

Great input. Thanks. Spoilage is not an issue. If I have buns left after a couple of days I freeze them. Steaming is a good idea. Typically I’ll microwave for just 5-10 seconds but will try one of your steaming ideas, though I think it might not be worth the effort unless I find a really good bun to work with. 

The easiest way I've found to steam the buns (if you don't have a Cuisinart Steam Oven - CSO) is to dampen a paper towel (enough to wrap around the bun(s)), wrap the buns and microwave for a few seconds - probably 10.