Americans eat a lot of hot dogs — more than 18 billion a year — especially on the Fourth of July.

They have become such a part of our culture, that most packages don’t even include cooking directions. Nonetheless, here are a few suggestions.

To prevent hot dogs from bursting on the grill, pick a few times with the tines of a fork. Grill until the outside is that way you like it (hot dogs are fully cooked when you buy them).

Though grilling will be the favorite method next Wednesday, most hot dogs we eat are boiled or steamed.

To cook them in water, bring a pan of water to a boil, put the hot dogs in and turn off the heat. Cover and let sit about 4 to 7 minutes.

Mustard, relish and onion are the top three condiments for hot dogs. (You’re not one of those who eats ketchup on hot dogs, are you?)

Here are some other ways to enjoy them.

BBQ HOT DOGS

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 (15-ounce) can  tomato sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon leaf basil, crumbled

10 to 12 hot dogs

10 to 12 hot dog buns, buttered and toasted

Sauté onion in butter, just until soft, in a large skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar, mustard, basil, and salt; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Arrange hot dogs in sauce; cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until puffed and bubbling. Place hot dogs in buns and spoon sauce over them.

CHICAGO-STYLE HOT DOGS

8 all-beef wieners

8 hot dog buns

Yellow ballpark mustard

Chopped cucumber

Pepperoncini, chopped

Chopped onion

Chopped red-ripe tomato

Celery salt

Dill pickle spears, optional

Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to high and grill the wieners uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes until deeply browned, rolling to crisp all surfaces.

Toast the buns on the edge of the grill.

Place the dogs on the toasted buns and top each with a good squiggle of mustard. Then pile on, in equal portions, spoonfuls of cucumber, peppers, onion and tomato. Sprinkle celery salt over each bulging bun. Serve with dill pickle if desired. Serves 8.

CRUNCHY KRAUT DOGS

3/4 cup sauerkraut

8 wieners

8 hot dog buns

3 bacon slices, chopped and fried crisp

Thousand Island Dressing

Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to high (1 to 2 seconds with the “hand test”).

In a medium bowl, mix together the sauerkraut with the dressing.

Grill the wieners for about 3 to 5 minutes over high heat until deeply browned, rolling to crisp all surfaces. Toast the buns on the edge of the grill if you wish.

Toss the bacon with the sauerkraut mixture. Place the dogs on the buns and the souped-up sauerkraut over the dogs.

Serve immediately.

ITALIAN HOT DOGS

1each, yellow and green bell pepper

2 medium large onions, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 ounces sliced mushroom

Salt, pepper and basil to taste

8 to 10 hot dogs

8 to 10 torpedo rolls

Stem and seed peppers and cut  into long narrow strips. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add peppers and onions. Cook slowly about 5 minutes, then add garlic and mushrooms and cook another 15 minutes or until peppers are very soft. Season to taste.

Grill hot dogs until nicely browned. Put in buns and spoon some of the pepper and onion mixture over each one.

CORDON BLEU HOT DOG

1 hot dog

1 slice Swiss or Gruyere cheese

1 slice baked or boiled ham

Flour

1 egg, beaten

Bread crumbs

Oil for frying

French baguette

Dijon mustard

Slit hot dog lengthwise, making a pocket. Cut cheese and ham slices so they are about the same length as the hot dog and about 3/4-inch wide. Put cheese and ham inside pocket (they should just barely stick out.)

Dip hot dog in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Hot dogs can be prepared ahead to this point.

Heat oil in a frying pan. When hot, fry hot dog until golden brown on both sides.

Cut a piece off the baguette equal to the length of the hot dog. Slit and brush the inside with mustard. When the hot dog is cooked, place in the baguette.

HOT DOGS IN TOMATO SAUCE

1 pound hot dogs

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 (10-1/2 ounce) can tomato soup

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Hot dog buns

Score hot dogs on the diagonal at 1-inch intervals.

In a large skillet, brown hot dogs lightly in melted butter. Stir in tomato soup, brown sugar, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and onion. Cover and simmer hot dogs in sauce for 10 minutes. Add green bell pepper; cover and cook 5 minutes longer.

Other hot dog ideas: Crushed pineapple and teriyaki glaze; sprinkled with chopped olives and crumbled feta cheese; as a BLT wrapped with bacon and served with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise; or stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon.