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

UPDATE: June 21st – Added Stuffed bread, fish shaped bread, and pizza

UPDATE: October 7th, 2021 – With the release of Red Chef Green Tom Yum Bread, the goal of making a loaf of bread completely from grinding a instant noodle block has come to fruition. ...see full post

To start, I want to take a moment to recognize the passing of Nunuk Nuraini. Many of you haven’t heard of her and so I wanted to tell you a little about her. She was the spice mixer for Indomie and died earlier this year. The flavors she shared with the world are legendary I thought it fitting to honor her with a mention before we start this list. If you’d like to read and article about her life, there is one here.  ...see full post

I’ll admit, this is a really different list. I’ve done cup and bowl form factor specific lists, but never ones that come in boxes before. I thought maybe this would be a good idea since most things that come in boxes in the noodle world tend to be on a more premium side of things. This is a selection of my favorites that came in boxes current as of review #3,702. Let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Boxed Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition! ...see full post

This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition! ...see full post

A couple days after The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition came out, I got to thinking. Every year, a lot of people enjoy my list, a lot also complain. They’ll say things like ‘how can this not be on here,’ or ‘you have no clue of what youre talking about’ – you can guess the rest but it sometimes gets downright rude. I usually tell people to go and review as many instant noodles as I have and make their own list and we can compare notes, but nobody’s ever taken me up on that. At the same time I thought of this, I came to the realization that although they might not agree with me, they’re still people who love their varieties of instant noodles. I thought that they (you) should have a voice. So, I started a poll. I didn’t want to make a list of varieties for people to pick from – that would sway things in those varieties’ favor. I told people to just write in the flavor they liked and what brand made them. A week or so ago, I ended up with a difficult task. See, a lot of them were listed as the brand name but no variety (six people put Maggi, but Maggi what? From India, From Malaysia? Which one?). Some got cut, but most got counted. There were almost 300 votes and here are the results. I’m going to start a new poll tomorrow and this will be an annual thing! Let’s begin! ...see full post

I’ve recently seen a whole lot of misinformation being spewed lately about the instant noodle. Why do I care? Well, primarily because I’m really into instant noodles. I’ve been a fan of them since a child and been reviewing them since 2002. A kind of strange obsession, but there are definitely stranger ones out there. What gets me is information that is presented by news and social media sources often is really quite inept; lack of research and frankly poor quality journalism on their parts. So, I’ve decided to come out with an annual list of ten facts about instant noodles starting today! Ready? Well, here you go. ...see full post

A lot of people have come to my site from the United States, knowing only a couple varieties, those usually being chicken or beef, pack or cup. If that’s you, this is kind of a beginner’s guide to exploring the different brands and varieties that are pretty easily sourced here in the States. You can find many of these in your local grocery store, although some might require a trip to the Asian grocery, or to Amazon. But all of them can be found here, unlike many I review that only are sold in their local countries. Many of these have even been on my top ten lists, past and present – so get ready to have some of my favorite and most memorable varieties that you can easily find here in the United States! ...see full post

NOTICE:

THE TOP TEN SPICIEST INSTANT NOODLES OF 2016 HAS BEEN RELEASED – CLICK HERE

If you like it hot, you’re in for a real treat here. These are the spiciest instant noodles you can get that I’ve reviewed from my 1,446 reviews thus far. If you can’t handle spicy foods, these definitely aren’t for you – these are serious! Many of these were so hot, I couldn’t finish the bowl – and I can handle a decent amount of heat! I used to review hot sauces! Anyways, Hope everyone is having a great summer and here are the spiciest instant noodles of all time for 2014! ...see full post

When I was very young, I first discovered a satay variety of Indonesian mi goreng and loved it. I would go on special trips to Seattle just to get tons of it! The many seasoning sachets, oils, and the exotic flavors – it was great! I have been very fortunate to be able to try many, many more varieties of Indonesia instant noodles. I think what makes them distinctly different from others in the world are the use of sweetness and spiciness. These flavors balance so well in mi goreng. Then there’s flavors like lime, hot chillies and the crunch of fried onion. Reviewing such exotic varieties are what makes being The Ramen Rater so enjoyable! With that, I proudly present The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition! ...see full post

This year, we’ve got some new fiery additions to this list of spicy and burning hot varieties. If you can find them, you’ll be feeling quite the burn! If you think you’ve found anything hotter or noteworthy of being on this list, please comment below or send me an email. Without further adieu, here’s the 2013 picks for the spiciest instant noodles I’ve found after 1,128 reviews! ...see full post