KitchenArt Ham Dogger

The KitchenArt Ham Dogger answers a very specific cookout question: what if the burger fits the hot dog bun? This plastic kitchen tool makes quarter-pound, hot dog-shaped hamburger patties, turning ground beef into something that looks like it has wandered into the wrong cookout. The shape is the whole point. You get a hamburger without needing a hamburger bun.

The person who wants both burgers and hot dogs but refuses to manage two bun inventories will get the most out of this. It is a wonderfully narrow solution to a small annoyance, which is also what makes it a fun gift for that particular cook. If buying two kinds of buns doesn’t bother you, the joke is probably more appealing than the utility.

It also shapes ground sausage or turkey into specialty dogs, so beef isn’t its only assignment. Less a kitchen revolution, more a firm commitment to one bun shape.