I recently published a recipe from the book Haute Dogs, but I had to pass along this little tidbit.
When I was a kid, sometimes my mom would sometimes spiral cut hot dogs, or more often she's cut diagonal slits in the dogs. Then she'd melt some cheese onto the dogs. I thought it was pretty darned fancy.
I've seen gadgets made specifically for spiral-cutting hot dogs, but I've always thought they were a little silly. I don't have a real need for a spiral cut dog. And I figured that if I wanted one, I could muddle through well enough with a knife.
But then I saw this in the book, Haute Dogs, and it made so much sense. So simple. Just put the hot dog on a skewer, and use the skewer as a guide for the knife. Then gently stretch the hot dog along the skewer before grilling it.
After it's cooked, the dog keeps its shape even after it's off the skewer. Ta daaaaa!