The Delicious Way You Should Be Using Stale Hot Dog Rolls

Chances are, many people will be doing a lot of grilling this summer. They're going to be making everything from hot dogs and hamburgers to corn on the cob, pretty much anything that can be grilled. After all, some recipes are simply perfect for the grill. While nothing beats a good juicy hamburger or a fresh-off-the-grill frank, you may find yourself stuck with leftover hot dogs, beef patties, and buns.

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of things you can do with these leftovers. Shelf Cooking, for example, suggests using leftover hot dogs in a tater tot casserole or for pigs in a blanket. Meanwhile, Food Network suggests using leftover hamburger meat in Sloppy Joes, tacos, or chili. After all, the use of hamburger meat in chili is pretty common, with fast-food juggernaut Wendy's making its chili the same way.

But what about those bags of old hot dog buns? They've pretty much gone stale by now, so what's there to do with them? While it's probably for the best you don't keep using them to serve hot dogs in, you can include them as part of a delicious and easy breakfast.

According to Lifehacker, stale hot dog buns are perfect for making French toast sticks. The reason, Claire Lower explains, is that the stale buns are still spongey and stiff, so they won't break down into mush when they're soaking in custard. 

To make hot dog bun French toast sticks, you must first combine 1 egg, ⅓ cup of half-and-half, a teaspoon of sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl to make a basic custard. Slice your hot dog buns into quarters or "sticks," dipping the quarters into the custard on all sides to ensure an even coating. The sticks must then be placed in a pan of either vegetable or canola oil and fried at medium heat for a minute or two on each side until the sticks are golden brown. You can then serve your French toast sticks with powdered sugar or maple syrup.

Allrecipes also suggests that you can use leftover hot dog buns to make a "pizza boat" (think French bread pizza with a hot dog bun), homemade garlic bread, or add to ground meat to make meatballs or meatloaf.