Paragon Dog Hut Hot Dog Steamer, Red, (8020)

We were looking for a way to feed our 60+ employees once a week--we decided to do hot dogs--but our employees are on the road all day and can return anytime from 10 AM-6 or 7 PM. We needed to find a way to cook and hold the hot dogs all day, while keeping the quality of them perfect. The Paragon Hot Dog Steamer has highly surpassed all our expectations. We are a trash hauling company, and the employee meal area is just off our 18 bay commercial garage-- so one of the greatest features of this unit is the doors shut tightly, and there is no access for flies to touch the food... which is a HUGE relief! We start the unit at 900 in the morning and add 100 hot dogs all at once. Within 30 minutes or so all of the dogs are up to the correct temperature and just delicious! We have done some testing over the past month or so and we have found that the hot dogs that were put in the unit at 9 AM are still plump, juicy, and delicious at 7 PM! The adjustable thermostat makes sure the hot dogs are kept at a safe to serve temperature all day long. Everyone loves them and it's a nice end to everyone's week. We have found that buns don't hold up well on the steamer shelf--but, if anyone wants a steamed bun then they put them in for about 2 minutes and they are perfect. I would highly recommend the Paragon Hot Dog Steamer--it is commercial grade and high quality materials--nothing flimsy here. The hot dogs hold perfectly and they are delicious! This unit has made a great addition to our workplace!

We ordered this Hotdog cooker after quite a bit of research. We planned on using it for holidays and barbeque parties. The product arrived on a very timely basis and everything was in working order and the box was well packaged. Everything was included. We did do a "trial run" about a week before our party to make sure everything was in working order. The machine worked without a hitch and our sample of hot dogs were ready very quickly. Everything was included in the packaging as promised. On the 4th of July the kids loved the hotdog maker and was a big hit. Children ages 4-5 years old were able to help themselves. The doors opened and closed properly. I 'm not sure why some reviews didn't like the doors. We did not have any of those problems. We opted not to use the hotdog bun steamer just because we didn't have time to monitor it. Though I'm sure if you had someone to stand by the bun steamer and manage it, it would be fine. ( or common sense instructions for your guests would work also) I think the design of the piece is worth the extra money for it did add a lot of pizzazz at our party and everyone raved about the idea. We also added some pre-cooked brats to the mix for people who wanted those. The machine is very easy to use and was very easy to put together. We also ordered some hotdog baskets, basket liners and hotdog holders. This was also a big hit to add these extra details. On the day of the party, we plugged the machine in and added the hotdogs and went to the parade. After the parade, the hotdogs were perfectly cooked and we turned the machine on low the rest of the afternoon. This worked great since many of our guests stopped in at different times. We didn't have to do a thing and all of our guests really enjoyed the "self serve" aspect of our homemade hot dog stand!

Update!! (June 2017)--I use this in my bar every night. Steams dogs well. I drain and clean daily and only use distilled water.Now, about the buns, I don't keep buns in it. When a customer orders a dog, I add the bun and 5 minutes it's ready. Now if the bar is doing well I will keep buns in there but I wouldn't recommend over 30 minutes. After hotdogs are to internal temperature (160F/71C) back the temperature down and just keep steamer on low setting. Then add buns. Buns last longer.If we have a slow night I'll test how long a bun can stay warm without getting soggy and update post.I love this machine, easy to clean.Only one complaint, why in the heck didn't it come with a drain attachment so I can connect a hose to drain fitting.Have buy separate at hardware store.Original postThis thing is awesome!! Heats fast and makes awesome dogs!! Easy to assemble and clean.I use it in my bar. Very happy.Package needs tape as well as the staples. Bottom dropped out when I picked it up.

This product worked pretty well for about three months. As others have mentioned, the glass doors were a little flimsy, and it isn't put together beautifully, but it got the job done. Until...After only THREE MONTHS of use, the on/off switch on the warmer broke. THREE MONTHS!!! The vendor expected me to take the machine apart to see if I could fix the wiring on the switch. NOT an easy task! Even after taking out the appropriate screws, it feels like I'm going to destroy the thing if I take it apart any further. Note: disassembling a new machine and doing anything to its electronics is NOT normal maintenance!!Vendor support has been terrible. I even told them I'd be willing to exchange mine for another machine in case the one I got is just a lemon, but no go. I guess they just want me to get out a soldering iron and fix their lame handiwork.Bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD! I can't stress enough what a lame experience it's been trying to get anyone at the company that made this to care that they sold me such a terrible product. One positive note - Amazon has my respect for having my back on this. I hope they reconsider working with this vendor.