Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Got a big and heavy box of samples today in the mail! Miles immediately decided it was his and thought he should play ‘king of the hill’ and be on top of it. Luckily, the box was very sturdy and so no harm done. Let’s crack this box open and have as look inside to see what we’ll be sampling for Meet The Manufacturer: Wu-Mu!
So another month, another great box from Zenpop.jp, purveyors of Japanese neat things. They have ramen boxes, they have candy boxes, they have ramen and candy boxes, they have stationery boxes too! Lots of neat stuff to check out over there. Check ’em out and use coupon code RAMENRATER at checkout for a discount! Let’s crack this box open and see what’s inside!
A few weeks ago, I commented on a post I saw on The Halal Food Blog‘s Instagram. Always really neat things to see there! Well, I saw a picture showing some instant noodles and that they were in Uzbokistan! I was immediately curious and they offered to send me some! Well, today I’ve got a box and it’s Unboxing Time, so let’s get to it!
Well, it’s that time again. Since the last The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list came out , I’ve reviewed 383 different varieties. I want to thank the companies and individuals who have sent me varieties I could not easily get. Incidentally, all of these are reviewed the same way – I follow instructions to the letter and taste each variety before I add any external garnish.. I figure that a naked bowl of noodles every day would be quite boring, plus it has given many ideas on what to add to them. As always, if you are an instant noodle company or a reader who wants me to try one that I’ve not, please contact me. With that, let’s have a look at the top ten for 2018 – the finest and most memorable instant noodles I’ve tried.
After I had quite a few people asking me if I’d tried or had any information on Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen, I decided to reach out to the company. They were receptive to doing a Meet The Manufacturer series and so that’s what we have going on today! Here’s the unboxing of the samples that they sent for review.
After a short hiatus, We have a new Umai Crate to unbox! To be honest, I really had a lot of fun opening the last one of these up. It’s been crazy lately – the day I did this video I did three other unboxing videos and there are 3 more packages coming in the next week or so. Continue reading to get a coupon code and to see what’s in the box I just got in this last week!
Seven years ago I first heard about Momofuku Ando Day. I was curious about it and very happy it existed – so much so that I decided that since I devote so much time to instant noodles and reviewing them, I ought to pay homage to their creator.
Hey Taiwan! I’m going to be at the Taiwan International Food Expo in Taipei! Check out the video for further details!
Today, I wanted to show you exactly what goes into my reviews from start to finish.
So in late August 2017, a fellow named Jay from Taiwan told me about a very spicy noodle I should try. I had recently put out the new Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time for 2017 and was definitely keen on trying anything and everything spicy of course to begin the search for newcomers for the 2018 list.
Just did a radio show this morning called the Brad & John Show. Check it out below!
Yeah – really! So I had no idea until it came out, but I’m in GQ Taiwan. Definitely didn’t expect that! If you want to read the article, it’s here (note – you’ll need to use Google Translate if you can’t read Chinese). Posts will resume Friday. I’ll do a couple Throwback Thursdays on Instagram though – oh yeah – follow me on Instagram! I post there every day as well.
Okay so you may have seen that there are new Pringles Top Ramen Chicken Flavor Potato Chips on the market. This is a pretty surprising thing for the US – less so elsewhere. Apparently, the only place you can buy them in stores is at a place called Dollar General. There aren’t any in Washington State, so I had to look elsewhere. I found an eBay Seller who has them and at a very reasonable price. Some people are selling six cans of Pringles for $99! That’s $16.50 per can! Egad; what has this world come to… Anyways, yeah I don’t think they currently have any in stock but I asked and they said that they were going to restock again ASAP!
Instant noodle cups – so portable, so ubiquitous. They’re everywhere! People seem to really like them for lunch. I’ve found that people also like to take them when backpacking or camping – all you need is hot water and once done, you can flatten them so it’s easy to pack out your trash. These convenient meals have come a long way since their inception – many flavors and countries of origin. This list is a compilation of my favorite instant noodle cups from the over 2,500 instant noodle reviews I’ve done to date.
TO EVERYONE ASKING ABOUT THIS ONE – THIS PRODUCT WON’T BE COMING OUT. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT. SOMEDAY I’LL COME OUT WITH MY OWN INSTANT NOODLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Well folks it’s that time again. This one’s a big deal – the list that people from around the world have been waiting for every year. Since the last list came out, I’ve reviewed over 400 varieties of instant noodles – a new record in one year for me. So many good ones this year! These are my absolute favorites of the over 2,400 reviews of instant noodles I’ve posted to date. There are some big announcements at the end of the video, so make sure to check them out! As always, I invite instant noodle makers to contact me so I can try your noodles! Now without further ado, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition!
South Korean instant noodles are known around the world as being spicy and beefy for the most part. However, there are many different styles. In fact, seafood jjamppong, black bean jjajang, cold noodles, and creamy beef noodles exist in the scene. Today, I’ll do a rundown of my favorites – the best of the highest rated South Korean varieties from over 2,300 unique varieties I’ve reviewed from around the world. Finally, I would like to note that it’s tougher to find South Korean varieties. Therefore, any instant noodle companies from South Korea should contact me promptly to be considered for upcoming top ten lists. Let’s get started.
I usually wake up at 5 in the morning, take a ton of pictures, edit them, get a post ready and then around lunchtime do the actual pictures and cooking and review. I’ve done it this way for a while and it’s a pretty good schedule for me, especially with a one year old in the house with his own schedule. Today I thought I’d take a day off and maybe have something different for lunch.
Every year, I review a ton of instant noodles – and every year I come out with quite a few lists. This list tends to change the least of all my lists – I’ve had a lot of spicy instant noodles in my time and just seems like nobody’s getting any spicier products to market. Could be that they don’t want to melt people’s faces off perhaps. Anyways, here’s this year’s list – the spiciest varieties out of over 2,100 reviews. Enjoy – if you dare!
A while back, somebody asked me if since I have top ten lists, what about a ‘bottom ten’ list? Well, when I was asked that, I was a little leery at first and then figured hey – why not. That’s what we have here. In it’s fourth iteration since 2013, here are my very least favorite varieties I’ve samples out over over 2,000 reviews. I should note that I see these often and so I’m sure many of you will disagree with me. It’s kind of crazy – some people get really offended at my picks. But these are my PERSONAL least favorite instant noodles; don’t take it personally… Geez… Without further ado, let’s dig in to The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition!
I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR HOW MANY OF YOU I FOOLED! HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY – I’LL BE REVIEWING INSTANT NOODLES FOR A LONG TIME COMING!
A couple weeks later, I received another box…
A new bowl! Hooray! Really nice – thank you so much!
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!
Hey everyone! I’m hoping you have been enjoying the website and my reviews! I was hoping you could do me a huge favor. There’s a yearly contest (longtime followers of the blog will remember it from previous years) called KING5’s BEST Of Western Washington. Basically, it’s a local contest where people can vote for their favorites. I’ve been in the Best Food Blog category for a couple of years now and hoping this year could be a little different – I really want to win this! The only downside is that you have to sign up and give your email address. Well, this year you can do so and tick a box during the process to ‘opt out’ of receiving any junk mail from them. It would mean a great deal to me if you could spend a minute and vote! It doesn’t matter where or what country you’re in, and if you’re a manufacturer, get everone at your factory to vote, please! You can do so by clicking here. Thank you very much!
Day 1 * Day 2 * Day 3 * Day 4 * Day 5 * Day 6
A few months ago, I received an email from Ms. Pojjanee over the Thai President Foods. They make MAMA instant noodles and I had recently done a Meet The Manufacturer series with them. It was just after New Year’s and she asked if my wife and I would like to visit their factories in Thailand! There was one hitch though – my wife would be in her third trimester of her pregnancy at the time of the trip and we both agreed that it might be a little too much for her unfortunately. My sister was happy to take her place if it was alright, and it was. With that, here we go on our trip!
The top ten instant noodles list is an annual post I do which is always quite a treat for me. I started reviewing back in 2002, but I really got going with it in June of 2010 – I’ve done nearly 1,600 reviews since then. It still boggles my mind that after trying so many, the industry continues to innovate and bring flavors forth that truly amaze me. With that, here are my absolute favorites – The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition.
After being asked ‘how can Taiwan make the annual The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists,’ I decided a video with an idea was in order. Here is a special message for Taiwanese instant noodle manufacturers.
March 5th, 2015 would have been Momofuku Ando’s 105th birthday! Google has honored the inventor of the instant noodle by putting up these alternate logos – I will explain them below.
Developed by Mike Koval, a reader of the blog for a long time, this app will let you browse and search the site easily. What’s more, by using the bar code scan option, you can scan the bar code of an instant noodle at the grocery store and get results (provided I’ve reviewed it of course). Enhancements will be coming soon as well! best of all, it’s free! Check it out now!
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.
If you’ve wanted a really in-depth documentary about the instant noodle, this is a great one. From past to present and beyond, this documentary follows the journey – from Momofuku Ando’s process of inventing the instant noodle, to how it’s developed in different cultures.
Another year, another list. With a range of zero to five stars, there are some that, well… Do quite poorly. These are my least favorite varieties I’ve ever tried – and I’ve 1,419 at the time of this posting. That’s a lot of instant noodles. Here they are, in all of their non-glory, the Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition.
I did an interview with Devin yesterday over at Pretend Radio – check it out! You can find him on iTunes as well.
Well folks, it’s that time again. Since the last list, I’ve reviewed another 335 varieties – almost one a day This list reflects the ones I’ve reviewed in the last year as well as those reviewed before that – 1,365 varieties in all. It seems to get tougher each time – so many good ones! Here’s this year’s list – the best of the best. With that, I present to you The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition.
Momofuku Ando (安藤 百福) – (March 5, 1910 – January 5, 2007)
Today is January 19th, 2014 – and you know what that means? Momofuku Ando Day! In 1958, Momofuku Ando invented the very first instant noodles and started Nissin Foods. I do a special video every year to commemorate the occasion (see below). First, here’s what the Nissin Foods USA website has to say about the man:
Tomorrow is Momofuku Ando Day and I thought it would be fun to let my son Andreas do a video review. Just a reminder – today (January 18th, 2014) is the last day to enter the Momofuku Ando Day Photo Contest! The winner will be announced tomorrow. My Momofuku Ando Day video will be up tomorrow!
I eat instant noodles. Every day. As of writing this list, I’ve reviewed 1,219 different varieties of instant noodles. Many people ask me if I get sick of instant noodles. Part of the reason I always say no is that I add things to my noodles to make them a more complete meal after I’ve reviewed them. I have seen quite a few lists online purporting to ‘hack’ or ‘pimp’ your ramen. Well, I’m not going to say that you will be able program it or hire it out, but it should be a bit more enjoyable and well-rounded. With that, here are my top ten favorite things to add to instant noodles for 2013.
Here we go with the 32nd edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News! I scour the Internet for articles about ramen and instant noodles and bring them to you! Here are some recent stories you might find interesting!
