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Hot dogs usually come in packs of 10. Buns, though, are sold in packs of 8, 10, or 12. Twelve is the most common. Ever wondered why they don’t match up? Everyone in America has.
The industry could standardize these numbers. It’s not about wasting food. The reason is actually quite simple.
Why Hot Dogs And Hot Dog Buns Are Sold In Different Quantities
A story circulating today quotes the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC). They explain why hot dogs and buns are sold in different quantities.
The short answer: baking pans. They used to have a standard configuration.
Here’s the official explanation from the NHDSC:
When hot dog buns were introduced, hot dogs were sold in varying quantities at butcher shops. Not until 1940 were hot dogs packaged as we see them now in grocery stores. Manufacturers chose the 10-to-a-pack formula. Today, hot dogs are mostly sold in eight or ten to the pound packs. Some come in other quantities too.
Sandwich rolls, or hot dog buns, most often come eight to the pack because the buns are baked in clusters of four in pans designed to hold eight rolls. While baking pans now come in configurations that allow baking 10 and even 12 at a time, the eight roll pan remains the most popular.
However, to save you from the bread aisle arithmetic anxiety, you need to purchase five bags of eight-to-the-pack buns and four 10-to-the-pack hot dogs to break even.
This story was picked up by the NY Post and others today. It’s amazing that this question has puzzled millions of Americans for decades since hot dogs started being packaged in 1940. Yet, the true answer isn’t widely known.
How has this simple fact eluded us for so long?! Well, now we know.
