Gray Hot Dogs???
Did you know if meat processors didn't add nitrite to hot dogs and bacon, they would look gray?!? Not very appealing, huh? But neither is nitrite!!

Sodium nitrite is commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef to stabilize the red color and add flavor, and also prevents growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which causes botulism poisoning. While this chemical will prevent the growth of bacteria, it can be toxic in high amounts for animals, including humans.

Studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer. "This would be at the top of my list of additives to cut from my diet," says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., M.P.H., R.D., L.D.N., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Under certain high-temperature cooking conditions such as grilling, it transforms into a reactive compound that has been shown to promote cancer."

Sodium nitrite is also suspected of playing a role in the development of colon cancer, migraines and chronic obstructive lung disease.

Source of information came from en.wikipedia.org

So why did they ever start adding nitrite to hot dogs? If we were used to them being gray we wouldn't think it was a big deal! Would we? Would it still be edible without the nitrite if and to eat them gray?