Category: * News / Noodle News

The Ramen Rater’s Definitive Guide To Maruchan Yakisoba

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I was approached by Maruchan recently asking if I’d like to review a couple additions to their Yakisoba Japanese Homestyle Noodles range. I’ve been reviewing them here and there for years, and thought since I have samples of their current range, why not go and do a special guide to the current varieties and ones that no longer exist. So, we’ll start with the current varieties and then go backwards  after that to now discontinued varieties. Each one will have a link to the full review.  I sent some questions to Maruchan regarding the initial release of these varieties and other things, but never got a reply. If I do, I’ll include these in this guide. Let’s check out all the Yakisoba varieties! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition

Time for another top ten! This time, I cast my gaze towards Malaysia; a place where strong flavors and fascinating varieties are born. Curries, seafood variants and more abound. I’m always very interested in new varieties from Malaysia and invite companies to please contact me regarding their new products! Let’s delve into the best of the best – this is The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2025 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2025 Edition

Instant noodle cups are pretty easy to find, take up a small amount of room, and – especially for camping folks – is easily dealt with when done. I’ve had people come to me with tears in their eyes exclaiming ‘Sir! It says 2025 – but it’s 2024!’ Well, it’s the second half of 2024, so this list will be active more of 2025 than 2024. Honestly, I adopted this way of doing things when a couple of people made very good points about it. Unfortunately, once I let the genie out of the bottle on this way of doing things, rolling it back was quite impossible. So, there you go. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2024 Edition

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This is a list I come out with every year – what’s different this year is now there’s a new rule: only one product per company. Seems fair to me – and also a way for more things to be seen. I don’t think it’s a bad idea and honestly, I think insofar as this list goes, it won’t be very hard to pull off. Anyways, here we go with The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2024 Edition! ...see full post

The Denmark Three – Full Reviews & Mukbang

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Top Ten Spiciest 2024 * Definitive Guide To Buldak

I thought instead of making people search the site I’d put the three in question in a single, easy to swallow post. This has been an interesting past few days in the instant noodle world; confounded folks who love the stuff don’t get it. Hochi is sequestered in the West Wing. Anyways, here’s all three in their glory. I’ve also included my odd recipes I’ve made at the bottom – enjoy! ...see full post

Calling All Instant Noodle Companies!

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Calling All Instant Noodle Companies!

The Ramen Rater wants to review your products! It’s completely free! It’s also a great way to reach new markets and educate potential customers about your brand and the products you’ve worked so hard to produce! It doesn’t matter what country you’re from; The Ramen Rater might be based in the United States, however my reviews are viewed globally! Companies from all over the globe have sent products in past years! Please contact me for more information! Also, if you’re a fan of instant noodles and have varieties that you would like to see me review and want to donate, contact me as well! Thanks! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

You know, this list while very exclusive isn’t one that brings me great joy. I really like instant noodles and the people who produce them, but some varieties just give me real disgust. I just can’t stand them, don’t recommend them, and wish they were different so I would like them. These are the ones I really, really dislike. This list is current as of review #4830. Be sure to check out announcements below – lots of neat stuff going on! With that, allow me to introduce you to The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

Every year I pick my favorites out of all the reviews I’ve done. In the past, I’ve had lists that have multiple companies with multiple entries. I decided this year that I would change that. Starting with this list, only one entry per company will be on the list. I’ll mention other noteworthy varieties in the text of each one which I think will give more opportunities for folks to try new things. This new way of doing things will be reflected in this list, the upcoming Bottom Ten, Top Ten Bowls, and Top Ten Cups lists. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

Well, I figured late is better than never. I compiled this list around September of last year and never got around to editing it up. Well, the kids are on spring break so I figured a great time to hunker down and get some work done. This list is a compilation of my favorite varieties of Indonesian instant noodles I’ve tried up to review 4,650. A lot of reviews have come out since I wrote this list, so you can be sure some of those will appear on the next list. I should note I’ve also compiled a list of all of the Indomie varieties I’ve tried here. You can see everything I’ve tried from Indonesia here. Also, I’m making a big change to Top Tens. That announcement can be seen below. With that, let’s look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition. ...see full post

Changes To The Ramen Rater’s Top Tens

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Changes To The Ramen Rater's Top Tens

A special note about Top Ten lists going forward

After long consideration and thought over the years, I’ve made a decision about the Top Ten lists. Are they going away? No, absolutely not. Top Ten lists going forward are going to have only one entry per company. I’ve had many Top Ten lists (this one is a good example) that have multiple wins by the same company. This list today is the end of that. You’d think ten spots would be enough to cover a lot of stuff, but I find it more and more restrictive, hence this new policy. Don’t worry – other varieties by the company will most likely be mentioned in the video. I think this change does two things. First, it provides more visibility for market diversity. Two, it provides more options for people to find products. This will start with the next Global Top Ten list which should be debuting on Monday, April 22nd, 2024. I should note that this will not apply to the Spiciest and Bottom Ten lists, as those are a bit different. Global, Cups, Bowls, and Trays as well as country-specific lists will be affected going forward. There are some instances this may not work. The USA list might be a little difficult as I don’t know that there are ten different companies to select from. This is going to be a big change, so we shall see how it goes. Global, cups and bowls definitely will adhere to this new policy. ...see full post

A List Of All The Indomie Varieties I’ve Tried

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Often I come out with a list and I get a comment saying ‘you should try Indomie.’ Well, I decided after years of telling folks that I have tried Indomie, I’d share a list of all of the Indomie varieties I’ve tried. So, this is that list. I’ve got 77 here. They’re ordered by review score (the last number) and the first number is the review number. So, you can hit the search button and type in that review number and it’ll bring it up. I’m pretty sure there’s a few more that have yet to be published, however this list contains 77 different varieties as on April 9th, 2024. ...see full post

Revisiting Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast – The Definitive Guide

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Revisiting Nissin Cup Noodle Breakfast - The Definitive Guide

A couple years ago, Nissin Foods USA came out with something called Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice. Honestly, I really enjoyed it and made many different recipes out of it, stretching it to the limit. This time, it’s a breakfast variety. I couldn’t find it, but luckily Stumpy from North Little Rock, AR, James from Lakeside, CA and Nissin Foods sent me cups which I truly appreciate. Here, I will go into meticulous detail about the product, and create five different things with it. With that, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Definitive Guide To Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast. ...see full post

UPDATE #3: The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help

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UPDATE 2/8/2024 – It’s pretty daunting. The end is in sight though. Currently, just paid for the security package for the blog – $200. It’s a lot but after being hacked a couple years ago, that’s one thing that can’t go unpaid or delayed. $2 to my name. They just started charging for my wife’s meds out of the blue – sounds like a new year thing. So we’re both in the crapper as it were. Tax return should be alright but about a month til we’ll see that we reckon. Want to thank everyone who has helped so much – without your kindness, we’d be is an even worse spot than we are, although pretty grim currently. Hopefully the next update will be much better, but for now if you can send something it would be appreciated. Been broke since October. Tough thing to get used to. ...see full post

Meet ‘The Ramen Conqueror!’

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A friend of mine shared a link with a great article today about a guy who I haven’t heard from in a while. Ramen Conqueror Piki! He saw what I was doing and decided he needed to do the same over in South Korea! Below is an interview I did with him in 2017 – he was kind enough to include pictures of me and my family in the book . This is from six years ago. Hope he’s doing well! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

This one usually comes out in January, but a little late this year on edits. However, this one’s ready to go! This is my list of favorite South Korean varieties from my reviews up to number 4,650. Definitely want to try more South Korean varieties – especially those only found in South Korea – not export versions if at all possible. Anyways, let’s boil some water and check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition! ...see full post

The Wonderful Easy Ramen Grilled Cheese!

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I went out walking yesterday morning and it was cold – like 17 degrees cold. That’s -7 to those blessed with the mtric system. Anyways, wind chill dropped it to 8 and it was cold – bitter cold. While out walking, I had a thought – it would be fun to make something weird in the kitchen after I did my regular reviews for the day. So, that’s what I did and here it is. ...see full post

The Frango Chocolate Review

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If you live in the Seattle area (and parts beyond), you have probably heard of Frango chocolates. Originally, they were at Frederick & Nelson – a big department store. They were acquired by Macy’s who kept these things going. They’re a pretty standard fixture of Christmas around here. This video shows a pretty in depth review of all the flavors. I don’t knwo if they have added more since this, but if so, we ought to do them – let us know if so. Anyways,, Merry Christmas – here’s the big one! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

As far as content people are looking for on www.theramenrater.com, the most popular is this list and all things hot and spicy. Apparently, you like it hot and this is the annual big heat of everything year. Well, these are the spiciest out of 4,650 reviews. I should mention there are some special announcements below, including a fundraiser I hope you can help out with. With that, let’s commence with The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition! ...see full post

UPDATE: The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help

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UPDATE 12/8/2023 – I want to personally thank every single one of your for your donations – it’s really been kind and immensely helpful to my family. We could still really use your help, though. If you can, we would really apreciate it. Again, thank you so much for helping with donations!

I’ve been reviewing instant noodles since 2002, doing episodes of Instant Noodle Recipe Time, The Chocolate Break with my wife, Professional Mukbang, Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater and more. Right now, we’re in a pretty crummy financial situation and hoping that some of the fans will be able to help out. I really loathe asking like this. I’ve set up a GoFundMe. It really is strange – you hear about statistics like ‘this percentage are one paycheck away from financial ruin.’ I love going to the thrift store and finding some trinket on the cheap. Right now, that’s a luxury I can’t even fathom, really. What’s crummy too is the time of the year that this is happening. Holidays plus my daughter’s birthday is a week before Christmas. Ugh. Here’s the link if you can help out. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition

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If there’s one thing that’s a certainty, companies from Taiwan tend to send me product samples more often than from any other country. They’re constantly innovating and refining, coming out with neat new things. Taiwan is a great place I’ve had the luck to visit twice. On one visit, I went to a large store and they had two aisles of just instant noodles that I really wish I would have taken pictures of. Now, what you’ll see on this list is mainly Taiwanese dry noodle. An ‘instant’ noodle is one that you can simply cover in boiling water for a short time and they spring to life. These require cooking. I hope to hear from Taiwanese instant noodle companies in the coming year; this is an invitation to you! It would be really nice to release a list of instant noodles alongside a list of dry noodles. This list is comprised of reviews of Taiwanese noodles up to #4650. Please check at the bottom for some special messages as well. With that, I hope you enjoy The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help

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UPDATE – I want to thank everyone who donated – you really helped us out a great deal and made it possible to get through this difficult time! At this point, our heads are pretty much above water, so as far as a pressing need for donations, we’re good. I would say though that if you appreciate what I do and want to say thanks, that’s always truly appreciated, so I’m going to leave this up as an option. Thank you!

I’ve been reviewing instant noodles since 2002, doing episodes of Instant Noodle Recipe Time, The Chocolate Break with my wife, Professional Mukbang, Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater and more. Right now, we’re in a pretty crummy financial situation and hoping that some of the fans will be able to help out. I really loathe asking like this. I’ve set up a GoFundMe. It really is strange – you hear about statistics like ‘this percentage are one paycheck away from financial ruin.’ I love going to the thrift store and finding some trinket on the cheap. Right now, that’s a luxury I can’t even fathom, really. What’s crummy too is the time of the year that this is happening. Holidays plus my daughter’s birthday is a week before Christmas. Ugh. Here’s the link if you can help out. ...see full post

Ultimate Air Fryer Ramen Recipe – Instant Noodle Recipe Time EXTRA

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Ultimate Air Fryer Ramen Recipe - Instant Noodle Recipe Time EXTRA

Perhaps there’s something to the term ‘third time’s the charm.’ After a couple fact-finding missions seeing what happens when cooked ramen is placed in an air fryer, we arrive at this one, and it turned out pretty well. Of course, some will immediately have a bit of a fit concerning this. ‘Why are you doing this?’ Why not? I know, it’s outside of your comfort zone which makes me want to do it more. Second, despite the promises made in the past of winning so much I’d be sick of winning, I decided not to rely on those making these promises and just work on the winning myself. ...see full post

Exclusive: Top Ramen Instant Noodles In An Air Fryer

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Recently, my wife and I inherited an air fryer. We’re pretty late to the ‘revolution’ of a tabletop convection oven on steroids that can make crispy french fries and chicken nuggets like nothing else. But of course, you probably guessed instant noodles wouldn’t be far behind. This is my first attempt, but most certainly not my last. I didn’t do any research – I decided to just wing it after making a few things over the past two days. Let’s see what happened! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

Quite a few years ago, July 8th, 2013 to be precise, I came out with my first The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. I got the idea from a guy who worked at one of the world’s leading instant noodle companies. He asked ‘you have top tens, why not a bottom ten?’ I weighed the idea carefully. I could really piss off a great deal of people with my list. But what the hell – I do that already with my top tens – people are always disagreeing, and that’s fine. Ten years later, it’s time for my tenth installment of The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles list. These are the worst (in my personal opinion) varieties I’ve ever had – mind you this is out of 4,400 reviews. Definitely not a list anyone wants to be on. What companies like I’m sure is when a product falls off the list and a new one gains my ire. This time it’s a horror show theme, done up with AI. Well, let’s check them all out – and remember, if you like some of these, that’s fine with me – just don’t expect me to eat them with you. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Global Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls 2023 Edition

Been lagging on doing top ten list editing – my apologies. The weather’s been really good for walking, and in May I did over 500 miles. I included a special post at the bottom about it. I also included something of a change from how I’ve been doing things as well involving AI. Anyways, this is the annual The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls – these are my favorite varieties out of review up to #4440 which are in the bowl style. Hope you enjoy! Top Ten Cups and Bottom Ten lists should be coming soon! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater Diet: How I Lost 56lbs in 92 days

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I’m sure you’re a little confused, so here goes. I was told by my doctor back in 2018 that I needed to lose weight – I was at 364lbs and looking at pre-diabetes and going on a statin drug as well. So, I got a stroller and started pushing my daughter around a lot and limited intake. In six month, I’d lost around 60 pounds. I ended up down to 200 pounds in the next year which was pretty good. Well, In 2021 my mom died and early the next year I got COVID and ended up in the ICU. I gained 88 pounds back – definitely not what was on the menu but it happened. In early March, I saw my doc and he said I was back at 288lbs and said to lose weight again. I modified the diet I had done back in 2018. The next visit was in June and I’d lost 56 pounds which is an average of 0.6 pounds per day for 92 days. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodles Of All time 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodles Of All time 2023 Edition

I get asked to do different top ten lists often – ones for people with dietetic restrictions, one for specific types of noodles, etc. The return of the Japan list should satisfy those who have wanted it to return. The problem with the Japan list is that Japanese varieties  often come and go very quickly like the seasons; they are to be enjoyed and then remembered. Hopefully you’ll be able to find most of these, but if not it is because of this reason. This list is comprised of my ten favorite varieties from Japan out of my reviews up to number 4,400. If you’re in Japan and have varieties you think I should try or are a manufacturer there, please contact me. With that, here is The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Japanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Definitive Guide To Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast

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A couple years ago, Nissin Foods USA came out with something called Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice. Honestly, I really enjoyed it and made many different recipes out of it, stretching it to the limit. This time, it’s a breakfast variety. I couldn’t find it, but luckily Stumpy from North Little Rock, AR, James from Lakeside, CA and Nissin Foods sent me cups which I truly appreciate. Here, I will go into meticulous detail about the product, and create five different things with it. With that, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Definitive Guide To Nissin Cup Noodles Breakfast. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Global Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

Another year and it’s time for yet another top ten list. There’s a let of movement here, and a lot of favorites which have stood the test of time. This is a list of my favorite varieties from reviews up to #4440. If you’ve got a variety you think I should try or are a manufacturer who would like me to try your masterful creations – please drop me a line; I don’t know that in the 20+ years I’ve been sampling and opining about instant noodle products that I’ve refused a request for me to try a product. As I’ve said for years, my true favorite variety is the one I haven’t tried yet. With that, let’s look at these true diplomats of flavor in this, The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition. ...see full post

Contest! Win FREE Choi Ramen!

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Want to win some free ramen? Join the Ramen Junkies group on Facebook and find the contest post! Comment as to why you deserve 15 packs of Choi Ramen – the best 4 commentors will win 15 packs of this great chicken variety! Contest will be open from noon 2/17/2023 – noon 2/24/2023. Only available for folks in the continental United States. Winners will be contacted via Facebook Messenger. Good luck! Be original and creative! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

I can’t believe it’s been almost eight years since I did a The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time list! That’s quite a while; especially with my absolute love for all things Malaysian instant noodle. The flavors are so bright and strong! These are my absolute favorites from my Malaysian product reviews up to #4300. If you’re a Malaysian instant noodle company I’m really hoping you contact me! Would love to sample and review your products! That being said, let get right to business with The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

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The Ramen Rater's Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition

After a couple years, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition. It’s been a sort of tough go lately; so few new Korean varieties have crossed my desk. Usually they’ve all been ultra spicy ones, and while good, they’ve not been ones that are top ten listers. There should be a few new ones to the list for next years list that have yet to be published, though. If you’ve an instant noodle company in South Korea, I’d love to review your products. I used to receive samples from the larger companies quite often, but unfortunately not so much recently. This list is comprised of varieties from South Korea that I’ve reviewed up to my 4,300th review. With that, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition! ...see full post