Hamburgers and hot dogs are the classic cookout foods. While hamburgers are most often homemade, and the number of recipes is beyond counting, hot dogs are a bit tougher to make in the average kitchen.

Because of their processed nature, hot dogs have gotten a largely unfair reputation over the years as being tubes full of everything from offal to floor sweepings, with a healthy dose of rat detritus thrown in. While this was often true around the turn of the 20th century, today's hot dog, while far from being health food, is hardly the "secret ingredient" nightmare you might think.

On weeknights, you'll most often find hot dogs cooked in the microwave or in a pot of boiling water. Both methods are acceptable, especially if you throw an onion and a bottle of beer in the boiling water, but franks truly come into their own on the grill, where the dry heat gives the casing a bit of a sear while the insides are heated to juicy perfection. For this test, all the entries were grilled. Each tester consumed one hot dog of each type plain, without even a bun, and one in a white bun with ketchup and mustard, the two most commonly used condiments.

Each dog was rated on a scale of 1-20 by the panel of five testers on criteria including flavor, bite (texture), saltiness and how well it worked with the condiments. This led to a possible perfect score of 100.

We'll start with the only reduced-fat frank in the bunch. There is a vegetarian entry, too, along the way.

Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks: 48 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 2 grams carbs

The nutritional information on this hot dog is startling when compared to the others in the test, and the flavor is surprisingly good. It's a little bit dry, and actually reminiscent of a Slim Jim or other beef jerky stick. But for the tiny amount of calories and fat involved, that's a forgivable sin. But nutrition didn't factor into the testers' grading, so the final score was only 86.

Bar-S Franks: 120 calories, 11 grams fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs

This is a very average hot dog. The consistency was a bit gelatinous, without much bite. It was extremely salty, without much other flavor. Bar-S is one of the cheaper dogs out there, and with ketchup and mustard would work for a mass cookout where nobody's paying a lot of attention to the actual flavor. Final score: 69.

Armour Classic Jumbo Dogs: 180 calories, 16 grams fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 680 mg sodium, 5 grams carbs

This one will bring back memories of your youth. It's meaty, without the filler mealiness present in most lower-priced 'dogs. It browns up very well over charcoal, with good flavor. The bite is a bit weak. It goes very well with the standard toppings, picking up the tang of the mustard well. Final score: 85.

Ball Park Franks: 180 calories, 17 grams fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 560 mg sodium, 3 grams fat.

The famous "plump when you cook 'em" tag line is part of American advertising lore, and these are one of the better grill 'dogs out there. However, compared to most of the other franks in the test, these tasted rather fatty. The bite was good, and the saltiness was well controlled, but the fattiness led to a final score of 82.

Nathan's Famous Skinless Beef Dogs: 170 calories, 15 grams fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs

Anyone who's watched the Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest on Coney Island has seen contestants pounding down Nathan's dogs. Eating them that fast should be a crime, as these are ones you'll want to stop and savor. Whether with ketchup and mustard or just "naked," the balance of meaty taste and salty kick is guaranteed to kick your cookout into high-class territory in a hurry. Find these, and your fame as a grill master is all but assured. Final score: 97.

Jennie-O Turkey Franks: 70 calories, 5 grams fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs

This frank looks pretty lean in terms of calories, and while its poultry base likely has something to do with that, the very slender size is another factor. The flavor was actually quite good, nicely smoky without too much salt, and the bite was more stout than expected, but the standard-size bun simply swallowed them without a trace. Final score: 74.

Lightlife Smart Dogs: 45 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 290 mg sodium, 3 grams carbs

This is the lone vegetarian entry in the test, and it is to be sincerely hoped that other veggie dogs are tastier. The casing was similar in consistency to a surgical glove, and the filling was a soggy mess of vaguely smoky-tasting goo. Grilling did nothing whatsoever to improve it, nor did ketchup and mustard. This was the only dog in the test that no taster could finish. Final score: 31.

Gwaltney Great Dogs Chicken Franks: 120 calories, 9 grams fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 760 mg sodium, 5 grams carbs

Other than being a bit overly salty, these are perfectly good non-beef 'dogs. The bite is better than you'd expect in a poultry-based frank, and the smoke flavor isn't overdone. It grills up well, and while the flavor does disappear a bit under the ketchup and mustard, it was still worthy of final score of 82.

Oscar Mayer Wieners: 130 calories, 12 grams fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 540 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs

Learning the Oscar Mayer wiener song was a rite of passage for most kids, and these are the dogs that likely adorned just about every grill in suburbia at one time or another. They stand up well to the test of time, with a moderately stout bite and a mellow smoky flavor that complements the saltiness well. Final score: 89.

Hebrew National ¼-Pound Beef Franks: 350 calories, 32 grams fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 990 mg sodium, 1 gram carbs

Here we have the Rolls Royce of hot dogs. Bigger than the bun, with a bite to die for and a flavor that can't be beat, this big dog will impress even the most jaded hot dog aficionado. The calories and other categories are higher than the other offerings, but you will only need one of these to be satisfied. The final score for this one was a category-winning 98.

This test doesn't begin to cover every hot dog out there, and it's a safe bet a fair percentage of you reading this have a local or regional favorite or, even better, something made by your local deli, that bests any here, but you've got a good chance of finding any of these at your local grocer.

Just be sure you use good mustard!