I am Hans Lienesch, The Ramen Rater, and I've reviewed 1,386 different varieties of noodles

Huh.

Yup.

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When I was a kid, my mom used to make me this stuff called Roasted Ramen by Nissin. They discontinued it and we drove from Anacortes down to the Seattle International District grocery store Uwajimaya. My dad figured out that the most comparable thing to it was Nissin Chikin Ramen. While there, I noticed a lot of weird packaging and stuff in foreign languages and was instantly fascinated. In 2002 I decided to start a little html table with reviews and pics so I could remember which ones I'd tried and what I thought of thjem. I did about 50-60 reviews and then got on the Atkins diet (then I started reviews hot sauces). I got divorced in 2009 and moved back to my old hometown of Anacortes and lived in a little garage for a while and revisited the instant noodle. I moved the site to wordpress.com and started reviewing again. Later that year, I met the woman of my dreams online and she moved up from California and we moved to Edmonds which is about 15 minutes north of Seattle. I live right by a few nice Asian grocery stores and every day would walk to one and buy a pack of instant noodles to review. It gained popularity and was always fun, and here I am at review 1,386.

As far as pastafarianism, I kinda think pasta is more Italian of a noodle... I would see myself more Noodhist perhaps?

Uwajimaya is the best! What's your favorite ramen place in Seattle? I usually go to Samurai Noodle, but I'm always up for trying new stuff.

Never had restaurant ramen to be honest - only do instants - less sodium :)

I'm sorry, I just lost a massive amount of respect for your reviews. I've been reading your blog for about two years and I have enjoyed many instant ramens based on your recommendations (as you are no doubt an expert), but I cannot except the fact that you have never tried proper ramen prepared by a chef, served at a restaurant.

I live in NYC and it's filled with TONS of great ramen shops. I like to think I'm well educated in ramen, because I've tried nearly all of them (I'd say about 25 dedicated-to-ramen restaurants in NYC) and nearly all styles available here.

I think you are doing yourself and your readership a disservice by not being well-versed in what instant ramen is trying to live up to. I have rarely had an instant ramen that comes even remotely close to the quality of an amazing 8-10 hour, expertly crafted, broth with perfectly cooked noodles that were prepared by a master (sometimes flown in from Japan).

Places like Dave Chang's Momofuku Noodle, or Ivan's, or Minka, or Totto, Ippudo, Hide-Chan, Rai Rai Ken..... god the list goes on.... Just blows my mind you've never had the desire to leave your house and try it.

You seem to have a thinking that instant noodles are all trying to be 'ramen.' Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish that probably encompasses a very small amount of the 13,89 varieties I've tried thus far - I'd guess a tenth would be considered ramen really. Instant Ramen and Instant Noodles are two completely different animals. Take Sapporo Ichiban Shio and Indomie Mi Goreng; yes, both used noodles that have been made out of wheat dough, steamed, then fried to extrude the water. The similarities really end right there. I should also say that I'm not a man of wealth; I don't ofter go out to eat. The site started because I'm not one who goes out to eat often and likes to cook his own food. I have tried a few things - Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle Soup is pretty good... I would try restaurant ramen, but to be honest, I have noodles a lot and going out to eat doesn't make me think hey let's have ramen! It makes me think hey - let's try something I've never had before. There are many people who review restaurant ramen and it's very popular here in the US now, but that's just not my bag. I think if I were to try ramen as in Japanese ramen, I'd want to try it at a Japanese restaurant in Japan.

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Oh yeah Uwajimaya is where it's at you won't be disappointed.

What is the proper etiquette when it comes to slurping noodles while eating them?

What I've heard is that the whole slurping thing comes really from necessity. By inhaling air quickly over the outside of what you're eating, it ends up acting the same way as blowing on it. Some cultures go for hotter broths than others, and it seems like those that do tend to have more lax of a stand on the 'rudeness' of slurping.

Hi there! Well whats the best instant noodles you have ever eaten?

This year's official The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition puts MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle at the top. It's excellent stuff. Malaysian curry is strong and very hearty stuff.

link

http://www.theramenrater.com/top-ten-lists/all-time-packs/top-ten-instant-noodles-time-2014/

If it is Penang, is it really Malaysian? : P

Why wouldn't it be? Penang is in Malaysia...

It was a joke, but I failed miserably. I lived in Malaysia for two years and loved every moment. I visited Penang and learned that it is basically a Chinese island sovereign to Malaysia. What I mean is that the population majority is chinese.

Ah I see. What I've read about Malaysia is that is sure sounds diverse.

Please try Mamee Chef curry flavour! Heaps better than MyKuali! :)

Man you guys really should check out my site since you'd know that the Mamee Chef Curry Laksa was #7 on my top ten list. It's good, but the MyKuali was much better.

Aren't you sick of them by now?

Nope - I'm always finding new things to add to them (granted they aren't part of the review process) and it's always such a competitive field of food. So many different countries and flavors out there.

What is the best/most authentic Tonkotsu base instant/frozen ramen brand?

Ummmmmmmmmmmm... I really like the Yamachan a lot.

I was hoping something else may have existed that I didn't know about. Great site by the way and thanks for the answer. Yamachan has been my go to when I didn't feel like making the trek for the fresh stuff!

The is Sun Noodle's stuff - that's quite good as well.

What are your favorite add ons for ramen?

Chicken ? Steak? Shrimp? Other ramens?

Have you ever tried the flavor packet from one type with noodles for another?

Can you use your ramen powers to convince the Japanese to label some ramens as gluten free so I don't have to buy a ramen for the spice packet (unclear variety says •Spicy • and a bunch of Japanese stuff), then buy plain rice noodles and then mix and match?

How many times have you eaten dry ramen because you were plastered drunk?

Okay let's see... Lately I've found two things that are really great - fish balls and tau pok (tofu puffs). I could eat those on noodles all day long every day and never get sick of it.

As for one flavor on a different noodle - no, but I did have a ton of vegetable sachets leftover from one brand and used them - like ten of them - in a really spicy bowl of noodles and it was kind of okay...

Actually, some companies do do that! They're not usually powder sachets but liquid ones - if you're in an area with a Japanese grocery, check out the cold case noodles - chances are you'll find some of the sachets from a company next to their noodles products in a separate thing.

Oh and dry ramen when blitzed - nope. I will tell ya though that in Nepal, India and South Korea, there are varieties that are produced and marketed to be eaten that way. Ottogi makes Ppushu Ppushu and another I can't think of at the moment makes Pow Crunch. Literally smash, open, dump in seasoning, shake up, eat.

This one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJS63K5gzMY

Haha yeah I just reviewed those last month - the BBQ and the Chhicken - good stuff!

In Taiwan, they have Science Noodles c:

Oh Taiwan... Yeah they got angry at me for not putting them in the top ten - was on their national news like 20 times - check May 2013 videos in the media tab on the site

Lol well...my poor home country has little to offer these days besides food. Also, their news is ridiculous and I don't think anyone takes them seriously.

See they got mad because they think that there's one variety - the Unif Manchu Han Feast Beef bowl that should've been on the list. I'd love to try it but it's not available in the US and the likelihood it would make it through customs is really slim if someone tried to ship it... I just had a box of samples come empty the other day - the noodles had 1/10th of a gram of chicken powder in it and the Dept of Agriculture seized it.

Oh you have to explain that to me.

Do you get paid to eat Ramen?

Thhis is a question I get a lot and there's a simple answer - no. I get paid for advertising space on the site, nothing more. companies send me samples, readers send me ones that I can't get and then I buy them at the store as well. I've been asked before how much I charge to do a review and it is zero dollars and zero cents and I think I'll always do it that way. If I charged one company to review and not the other, it'd be a little unfair to say the least. My only agenda are my tastebuds and the continued enjoyment of doing what I do.

Ramen manufacturers could afford it?!?

Ramen manufacturers do pretty darn well - you'd be surprised. An analogy I could make is that Coke and Pepsi are to the USA as Paldo and Nongshim are to South Korea - instant noodles are huge over there. Imagine if Beyonce and Jay-Z were doing a commercial for instant noodles? Welcome to South Korea.

Wanted to stop in and say thanks for creating a great shopping guide! When I visit my local asian markets I used to try and gauge quality blindly, but finding your site (through Serious Eats) was so helpful and now I don't end up buying some of the funky nightmares that exist in the instant noodle world. There's this one sweet potato noodle in a purple package from Indonesia (I think) I know you reviewed once and gave it a 1/5 or something like that. It was somehow flavorless, but too spicy and oily and the noodles were atrocious (I bought them previous to finding your site).

My personal favs are some of Wu Mu's offerings (the stewed pork flavor is pretty amazing) and of course Shin Ramyun Black is a classic.

I'm slowly getting my friends to move away from the standard grocery store cup noodle and Maruchan stuff. There's so much great stuff to try out there and its really not all that much more expensive!

Thanks!

Hey thanks! Yeah I think the one you're referring to is the Baijia Spicy Fei Chang flavor. Yeah that stuff was just plain foul - second place on my Bottom Ten of all time list!

Wu Mu does make a nice range - especially the ones that come in those 4 serving wide packages - noodles are non-fried and flavorings are quite decent.

My wife loves Ramen but was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 6 years ago. Unfortunately she has not been able to enjoy them since due to not being able to find anything worth while or comparable to what she likes. Have you tried any gluten free Ramen? and if so what are the best ones?

Edit: Thank you for doing this!

I'm no expert on Gluten Free, but I do know that Thai Kitchen puts out some rice noodle instants that are really great - Bankok Curry and Spring Onion are good. Also, I didn't like them but some might - Lotus Foods did a series of Rice Ramen and they're totally Gluten Free.

Not sure if this fits here, but I want to know what is the difference in taste between something like 5 minute fast-noodles and something you can find in East (like China, Japan) and what are the most expensive noodles you've tried. (Here in Latvia all we have is instant-noodles)

Usually an instant noodle has less chewiness than one that's freshly made, although some are really quite nicely done.

The most expensive... As far as I know, that would probably be Prima Taste's Laksa and Curry LaMians, but they're really premium and good so it kind of is the 'you get what you pay for' deal. I had a company in canada ship a 4 pack of noodle bowls to me earlier this year on ice overnight and I looked up the weights and dimensions and figured the shipping cost was around $250 for them, so if you look at it that way those were the most expensive, at least to get to me to sample. They were excellent as well!

Have you ever left instant ramen noodles out for a few days? I have and they smell awful. Worst smelling shit ever. Why do they seem to smell worse then any other food after having been left out, with the relative simplicity of them (dry noodles, water, seasoning packet)?

Really - no I usually do the dishes lol. As to why they'd stink I haven't the slightest idea.

Awesome AMA. Became a huge Ramen eater since moving to NYC, what's your favorite Ramen place in New York? Also what separates a good ramen from a bad one and what is the most telltale sign of a good/bad ramen?

Okay I'll throw it down right now - I've not been to a ramen restaurantt, nor to New York. If I were to go however, I'd probably be curious about Orkin's new joint.

Instant noodles come in two ways I've found - we care and we don't care. We care usually has some sachets and something that identifies it uniquely. We don't care usually is a store brand in a white styro cup with a sachet containing one pea, one niblet of corn and one piece of carrot along with a 'chicken' flavor base sachet that smells like propane. I don't care either way - I want to try everything out there - the more exotic the better, but domestics are fascinating as well.

Have you tried any Ramen in Toronto? If so, what did you think?

Nope sorry - I only review instant noodles and the furthest I've been is Richmond, BC just outside of Vancouver.

Yo I just wanted to say I spent like an hour on your website yesterday checking out the better ramen flavors. Thanks for the reviews! It seems like you enjoy the spicier ramens like I do. Can you recommend a place online to get good ramen noodles? I dont know of any asian markets in my area that would stock some of the smaller varieties.

Also, Ive found these two brands on Amazon. Which would you recommend? Thanks.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00778B90S/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3S886E2DJR2YZ&coliid=I1QD7M8J1S9MDN&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007RGGDQK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3S886E2DJR2YZ&coliid=I1RT9A55KXXLGY&psc=1

Hey glad you dig my website! I would check out Amazon - seems like they have most everything and if you've got Prime then the shipping isn't an issue. Those are a couple good choices you got there - the Shin Ramyun is spicy and beefy - excellent with an egg in the middle and some cheese as well as kimchi of course. The Mi Goreng variety is one I steer people towards a lot - great styuff! Just make sure to follow the directions. If I had to pick, I'd go with the variety since its a variety.

mi goreng, every time. the Satay flavour is THE BOMB. I have 30 packs in my kitchen right now.

Yeah - I started with Nissin chikin Ramen when I was first into noodles and then I discovered that Indomie Satay. I would get boxes of it all the time too - was only eating that for like two years when it came to instant noodles. The Rendang is great too.

There was this Pork Koren Ramen bowl I ate once, it was spicy and came with pork oil and the standard seasoning. I bought it with a bunch of other bowls, so by the time I needed to stock up again it wasn't there and no one had any idea what I was talking about. Any idea and if not, got another good pork ramen suggestion?

Hmm I'm not sure - best I could recommend would be Nissin Raoh.

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Not usually - I do have a couple of recipes but nothing weird. I did do something odd for April Fool's Day though - http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/04/01/7431-earth-instant-noodles-natural-flavor/

I love raw instant noodles. It's like a cracker. Have you tried it?

But aren't them all more or less the same?? I can't really tell the difference between them all.

The noodle blocks for the most part are usually close to the same in many respects. Flkour and water are made into dough, go through increasingly thinner rollers, get cut by the wavy slicer, roll through a steam bath to be cooked, cut into a length and folded over, then bathed in boiling oil to extrude the water. There are different methods like air drying, baking and even sun drying. The latter don't usually go as well uncooked as they are hard like spaghetti noodles. I've had the South Korean and Netalese instants that are for straight out of the bag consumption. Here's a neat one - http://www.theramenrater.com/2013/08/28/1150-meet-the-manufacturer-asian-thai-foods-krrish-instant-noodles-chicken-flavour/

One reason I really love mama brand ramen is that I find a lot of noodles seem to over cook quite quickly (especially true for types that tell you to boil the noodles in the broth rather than pour the hot liquid over top of the noodles and let them rest before eating. What is mama doing differently to their noodles that leaves them with a nice texture after they are reconstituted?

I'm not exactly sure what they're doing, but they're called 'brown' noodles' over in Thailand and Indoa - a lot of people crush those up and sprinkle the flavor over and eat them like that.

I found your site a while ago and while I knew there was ramen beyond Maruchan Chicken, I didn't realize there was such a staggering variety. My wife now loves the Koka Black Pepper and my go-to is the Shin Ramyun Gourmet Spicy with an egg. So I wanted to first say, thank you for the info!

My daughter loves ramen but we've recently discovered that she has a soy allergy, which seriously limits her choices and makes it difficult to find something she can enjoy. She's tried Indomie Rendang without the soy packet but it's too spicy for her tastes. I've been reading through your reviews to find something soy-free and not-too-spicy that she might like -- but I'm hoping maybe you can help shorten my search?

I wish I knew what to say on this one. I think literally going through them and looking at the pics of the package backs would be your best bet. Soy is used in so many things... Perhaps make your own seasoning and just use the noodles?

Read your blog just now. You should try Nissin Yakisoba Spicy Chicken from the Philippines. don't know if you will like it but it's good stuff. :)

Are you very keen and precise when cooking instant noodles? Like 3 min is really 3 min to the last second?

Yeah I've really wanted to try that one for a while now.

Yeah I try to be as exact as possible when cooking.

With all the technological progress in the 21st century, will we see the day when the full range of food will be as cheap and minimal-effort-to-prepare as ramen? Will it ever be possible to have a fully-rounded diet solely from such food?

From what I've read and heard you can bet on it. The issue is that there are huge amounts of people. some think that the best route is to go for grain fed beef, organically grown non-GMO vegetables, but that's just not feasible. What a lot of people don't realize is that a herd of cattle actually negatively impacts the environment - they fart a lot and require tons of resources and are pretty inefficient. Instant noodles on the other hand are easily made and inexpensive, although issues with palm oil production are forefront these days in places where forests are being cut down to accommodate them. I think a fully rounded diet from such easily prepared foods can be attained at this point, but it's more of a food one has to augment rather than just buy in one package. I always use meat and veggies or fish and veggies in my meals, rounding them out better. In many countries, instant noodles are the primary foodstuff for the poor and are augmented with vitamins, a practice I believe should be done here in the United States as well.

I'm headed to Japan in a few weeks (Tokyo to be specific, but maybe Osaka too). Have you had any ramen from there? If so, where was the best?

I've had lots of instants from Japan. I would seek out this one - it was sent to me by a local and they referred to it as Japanese Soul Food - http://www.theramenrater.com/2013/09/05/1159-peyang-yakisoba/

So in Indonesia they never just add water.

It's always like an egg, a tomato, some chilis, and some cabbage and stuff.

Are you eating/rating your noodles just with water added? Or do you cook with them?

Also do you add all of the seasoning powder? I find that the oils and stuff are always good, but if you add full seasoning powder it's an MSG&salt overload.

I prepare as per packaging and review based on that. I add everything just after - which usually requires prepping everything first then adding post. As for popmie, nope - Indomie nor anyone else have sent me any of those :-(

I feel you need to do a ramen tour of Indonesia.

If you go to the resources tab then to the big list - click on the country column head and scroll down to Indonesia - there's a couple there lol

No I mean literally fly to Indonesia. It's a cultural thing, you can't experience it just from a packet.

Yeah maybe someday

What's your favorite type of ramen and why is it Korean Ramyun.

My current favorite isn't Korean but Malaysian. It's MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle and it's such a strong curry with reality good noodles. Not many come with actual curry paste that's any good but this one is fantastic.

My college roommate, while intoxicated, would make himself a ramen and peanut butter sandwich. He did this very often and never finished one. Have you tried a dry crunchy peanut butter ramen sandwich? If not, dont.

No I haven't and while I envy your friend's zeal, I'll let him hold that crown...

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I think you're looking at rice noodles - I really liked Thai Kitchen's Bankok Curry and Spring Onion varieties.

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Oh wow England... Not sure as I'm in the USA... My fave from over there is Golden Wonder - the beef and tomato.

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I have been searching for one called Crying Tiger for quite a while. A guy in Nottingham sent me some Tiger Tiger - I'll review the Red Curry tomorrow - it'll be up in two days.

The Tiger Tiger review is up right now - #1389.

Wow - this AMA made the news! http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/05/hans-lienesch-ramen-rater.html

What country do you believe has the best raman varieties and why?

Wow that's a tough one... I would say that right now I think the best come from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia - and Thailand. That Southeast Asian are has some really amazing stuff. I did put Malaysia as the #1 instant noodle for this year's Top Ten list, so I guess that's the answer, but that whole area is amazing.

Yeah, I saw! Can't find anywhere to order those noodles online. Total bummer. Thanks for the AMA

The Malaysian ones should eventually be available here via online order.

I love reading good reviews and I went to look up your site and it turns out I already had it bookmarked. So do prefer ramen that comes in a bowl already or packet ramen?

I like the packaged ones better but for reasons that might be different than most. Many of the labels on the bowls are hard to scan without destroying the packaging, so taking pictures and getting dirty with Photoshop is what I generally have to do. I always put everything in a bowl I use in the end anyways, so it makes extra trash. I usually take about 3 hours per reviews - research if needed, photography, actually cooking and reviewing, prepping stuff for post review garnish, etc. I like packs lol.

What's the best way to "Doctor Up" a package of Top Ramen: Oriental flavor?

Also, what do you think of this flavor:

http://www.theramenrater.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010_9_8_133_0011.jpg

Edit: I'm so silly. I did an image search, and I just noticed this came from your site.

Top Ramen Oriental ehh? Well, I'd maybe try with hard boiled egg, kamaboko, sweet onion and green onion. Saute some thin sliced pork if kamaboko's tough to source.

What do you think makes a good bowl of ramen?

It's easier to say what doesn't make one - broth that's thin and watery and bland is a big no-no. Also, if it says it tastes like chicken and tastes more like bitter vegetables, then it's a bad deal. Spongy, mushy noodles are bad as well. Good noodles should be firm enough and chewy. Crumbly noodles aren't usually a good thing but there are exceptions to that rule. Broths that have a little oil sachet to go with them can be great - too much oil though is a downside...

Hi, you seem to rate quite a lot of South East Asian noodles quite highly, especially the Penang one. Any plans to come down and try the real thing?

Hope to some day!

I've tried these before I learned about your site, and I kind of thought they were pretty good. Anything in the same style that's a MUST TRY that you think is much tastier?

Those are real good yeah - they were on my top ten list last year. Thhis year heralded Sapporo Ichiban Otafuku Yakisoba - that one's even better - uses Otagfuku Yakisoba sauce in it and that's what you'll find in most yakisoba joints everywhere.

Have you ever gotten an upset stomach or gotten sick?

I'm assuming you mean from eating instant noodles - not as a direct result of eating instant noodles, no. I've eaten a lot of sugary foods and then pizza and then the next morning eaten noodles and my stomach said no. If I eat right and include instant noodles in my routine, I don't get queasy or sick or heartburn or even gas.

By the way - I started a new Subreddit for discussion on the daily reviews here - http://www.reddit.com/r/theramenrater/

For those of you who are wanting to see specific brands reviewed - please refer to The Big List - http://www.theramenrater.com/resources-2/the-list/

You can sort by brand, country, packaging type and stars.

Here are some of my TV appearances

God Of Patena (Japan) - Weird one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TCdX2m3qR8

Apple Daily News (Taiwan) - This is when Taiwan was angry to not be included on the top ten last year - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMH3CngBwHw

Evening Magazine (seattle) - This was a fun one with a local NBC affiliate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm-xV53N33Q

Whats the best spicy ramen? I love all things spicy and cant settle on which ones to order off amazon.

I really liked that Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja - you might still be able to find it on there if there's any left (it was recently discontinued). If you want something that burns good and is easily accessible, look for Paldo Teumsae. Here's my Top Ten Spiciest list from last year - http://www.theramenrater.com/top-ten-lists/all-time-spiciest/top-ten-spiciest-instant-noodles-of-all-time-2013/

awesome there's a grocery store near me that has a lot of ethnic items and lots of instant ramen. I actually picked up the Paldo Teumsae there because I thought I may of recognized it from your top ten spicy list.. turns out I was right. Have you tried any of the ramen with the udon noodles that they usually sell in the refridgerated section? They are South Korean I believe and they are AMAZING. The noodles are like fresh and not hard as a rock. Not sure if this is considered "Instant Ramen" or not though

Yeah I just did a series of udon and yakiudon reviews sent by a Japanese company called Takamori Kosan. Yeah they're not instant noodles per se, but they are in the same kind of ball park - add some water, boil, add seasoning sachet. I might be doing an udon top ten or just a fresh noodle top ten sometime soon.

I've always wondered -how do you keep healthy? It's my guilty pleasure but I always feel bad eating instant ramen and don't eat it very often. What do you balance it all out with? thanks for the AMA, sorry if I'm too late :)

Well, I always add stuff to the noodles to balance it out like vegetables and meats/seafood. That's usually my breakfast. I exercise with daily walks and eat pretty healthy foods otherwise - mostly low fat. I've been losing weight and things are going well.

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You talking the Canadian Mr. Noodles? If so, I hate to say it but it'll probably make this year's Bottom Ten list.

For those unfamiliar with the menace to the north, see here - http://www.theramenrater.com/category/mr-noodles-2/

What's your feeling about shirataki noodles? I'm on /r/keto so I eat them sometimes, but the smell kind of puts me off even though it's all gone after you rinse it.

Actually I have some here I should review... I've never tried them before - very curious about them. Was thinking it would be funny to make them yakisoba style and dump some Kewpie mayonnaise on them - guessing that wouldn't work so well... Any garnished you'd recommend? I was thinking sweet onion and maybe some sukiyaki beef...

I just use them exactly like regular noodles. I've occasionally bought pho but asked that they not put in any noodles. I endure the mystified head shaking and then add shiratakis when I get home.

Actually now that I'm talking about it I want some!

I do find it peculiar that there's a traditional food with no nutritional value.

Yeah that stuff sounds interesting - made from 'agar' right? I got samples from 'Miracle Noodle' that are sitting here... Maybe I'll give their dried shirataki miso a try this week.

No, they're made from a kind of yam. Agar is seaweed.

Oh okay - yeah there are some that are made from agar...

So you know your Top 10, but what comes in at Number 11?

Indomie Rendang. It was kind of hard to not include it in the list this year but I'd definitely put it as honorable mention.

I want to smash that so hard.

Smash it? You mean like pulverize the block of noodles until they're smaller than rice before you cook it? That is something I don't recommend.

Who's going to stop me? The Ramen in Black?

Nobody'll stop you but instead of going to the trouble, you could just have a bowl, some seasoning, and just thicken it with flour...

What's your blood pressure like?

I just had it taken the other day at the doctor. Just borderline.

What is the hardboiled egg for? Every time they serve me a hardboiled egg when I order ramen, I just eat it before my ramen comes. Is this wrong? Feeling unsure about rametiquette.

It's for eating - if you're referring to ramen ettiquette as in Tampopo remember - that film is a comedy about culture and food. Don't take it too seriously. Food is to fill the belly. After that, it is meant to be savored and enjoyed. The only way to 'do it wrong' is when you don't follow the directions on the package, as in Mi Goreng - if you don't drain the water before stirring the noodles and the ingredients, you'll have a really nasty soup.

What do you think about the creamy Tom Yum by MAMA? I ate the plan shrimp flavored one my whole life. A few years ago I discovered the creamy one and my mind was blown. Unfortunately most stores here only carry the plain Tom Yum.

Yeah the Creamy Shrimp was on last year's Top Ten list - it's seriously excellent. Definitely blows away the regular. You can get it on Amazon...

What is your favorite kind if ramen?

MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle.

I really love your website, but how on earth did Chapagetti end up getting 3.25/5? That goopy stuff is nasty! It wasn't hearty, sweet or spicy. First bowl of noodles I couldn't finish.. Did I do something wrong during preparation?

I dunno I think it's an acquired taste. By the way that's not a great score; 65 percent on an A through F scale

Any personal thoughts on microwaving ramen?

I'm a big fan of Chris Johnson''s Rapid Ramen Cooker - here's an interview and review I did with him before he was on Shark Tank. http://www.theramenrater.com/2013/10/08/the-ramen-rater-tests-the-rapid-ramen-cooker-2/

Cup Noodle and Instant Lunch should NEVER be microwaved - microwave water in a seperate vessel and then pour it in the cup.

Do you prefer noodles to be packaged squared or rounded? I cook instant noodles in a really small pot and it's so much more convenient when you have rounded noodles because the entire thing can fit perfectly in it. Whereas the squared ones just sticks out of the pot and you have to flip it to cook the other end.

I should really get another pot.

That's really funny you ask that question today - I reviewed a prototype instant noodle from South Korea with a new ramyun pot I was sent by Paldo - used it for the first time today - here's what it looks like. http://www.theramenrater.com/2014/04/29/square-ramyun-pot-paldo-america/

F, Marry, Kill: Ivan Sorkin, Shigemi Kawahara, Yuji Haraguhi.

Would be nice to meet Ivan Orkin or David Chang sometime, but I'm married and not a killer.

Right, but it's a game...you have to make your selections.

Yeah but it's not a game I want to play. Only one of thoser I kow is Orkin. If you look at my site, I'm not into the whole restaurant ramen thing.

Oh.

F, Marry, Kill: Cup of Noodles, Oodles of Noodles, Maruchan Top Ramen?

Close but no cigar there... There's no cup of noodles product, and Maruchan doesn't make Top Ramen - Nissin does. Top Ramen and Oodles of Noodles were seperate products at one point.

F Marry Kill: Barilla, Ronzoni, San Giorgio.

Close enough, they're all noodles.

Yeah but not instant ones... All I could say was kill the Barilla since they were a little bigoted in recent news.

Do you prefer mixing hardboiled egg with your instant ramen or want it a little poached?

Edit: I'm from the Philippines and I was surprised you gave Quickchow a 5! Lucky Me is the local instant noodles king here, so I never considered Quickchow. Payless, though, is a worthy competitor I gotta admit.

It really depends - hard boiled works well with col Korean noodles and Japanese proper ramen, poached is nice on a beef and tomato British one, and fried is awesome on Mi Goreng or Pancit Canton.

Hey, I live in Japan. What's your favourite ramen joint and instant noodle brand? I'm looking forward to trying some based on your recommendations!

Never been to a 'ramen joint' as all I review are instant noodles. However, I'd say find one of these places - http://www.theramenrater.com/2013/06/14/donation-from-japan/

Glad to hear someone's doing this. I'm the owner of the YT account "Ramen Review". Haven't logged into it for years now.

Passions must be attended to daily :)

What was the worst ramen you've ever had?

Single Noble Black Bone Chicken - that stuff was vile. Here's my Bottom Ten list - http://www.theramenrater.com/top-ten-lists/all-other-lists/the-ramen-raters-bottom-ten-instant-noodles-of-all-time-2013-edition/