Making Ramen in The Microwave Learn 3 Easy Ways to Cook Noodles Today

Making Instant ramen in your microwave is something like using hyperdrive in Star Wars.

You can make your ramen really quick with little effort.

I spent too much on shopping and traveling this month!

How can I survive until the next paycheck?

I probably should save money for my meals….

Have you ever had this kind of experience?

If so, this article is for you.

I like eating ramen.

I often go out to eat ramen for lunch.

However, it is expensive.

It costs US$15 for one meal!

What about instant noodles?

They are 50 cents per pack.

Wow-wee!

But wait,

You need to use a pot and stove in order to make instant ramen.

Do you want to use them? It is too much work.

In this article I will talk about the 3 super easy ways to make ramen noodles without a pot and stove.

Keep reading and you will find out…

 

 

1. Have you ever wondered if you can cook instant noodles in your microwave?

Recommended: ★★☆☆☆
Easiness           : ★★★★☆
Cleaning up      : ★☆☆☆☆
Cooking Time  :  7 Minutes
Tools                 :  Microwave, a bowl (heat resistant), and plastic wrap

 

i. Why do people cook instant noodles in the microwave?

If you don’t want to use a pot and stove, microwaving instant ramen in a bowl is the quickest alternative to cook your noodles.

You can save time since you just need to wash your bowl and utensils.

ii. How do I cook noodles using the microwave? 

1. Pour 2 cups of water into your microwave-safe bowl.
2. Heat the water up until it starts boiling in the microwave (1-3 minutes).
3. Put the noodles in the bowl and cover the rim using plastic wrap loosely.
4. Microwave the noodles in hot water for 5 minutes.
5. Make sure the noodles are cooked. If not, microwave for an extra minute.
6. Put the soup packet into the bowl and mix.

 

iii. Tips for cooking noodles in the microwave

1. The bowl can get very hot, so be careful.

2. The cooking time depends on the noodles. You need to add 2 minutes on top of the recommended cooking time on the package.

Example: 3minutes (on the package) + 2 minutes =5 minutes (time for microwaving)

3. The water might spill out of the bowl while you are using the microwave, so don't forget to clean up after yourself.

4. It is much healthier and tastier to put some vegetables on your noodles as toppings.

5. You should heat the water first. If you heat the water and noodles together, the noodles will stay uncooked.

iv. What does microwaved instant noodles taste like?

It looks just like normal regular cooked instant ramen. 

I think the soup is clearer than usual.

Usually cooking water becomes cloudy but it seems this doesn’t happen when you use a microwave.

What about the taste?

It doesn’t have a smooth texture like the regular one.

It has more of a rough texture

If you like soft noodles, I don’t recommend this cooking method.

v. Pros of microwaving noodles

You can heat your toppings up with noodles. If you put vegetables in, it will be much healthier.

You don’t need to use a stove and pot.

vi. Cons of microwaving noodles

It takes time. 

You might think it is much faster to cook with a microwave. 

However, you still need to boil the water fast.

Your bowl will be really hot inside the microwave. Use gloves to take it out. 

Water and soup might spill inside your microwave.

Make sure to clean up after yourself.

vii. Specialized Tool for Microwave Cooking

There is a tool for cooking instant noodles in the microwave.

The function of this tool is the same as a heat resistant bowl.

I think the only difference is there is a specialized lid for it.

And this lid has handles so that you don’t need to wear gloves when you take it out of the microwave.

However, you cannot heat fatty toppings such as chashu with this tool, since this is made of plastic and heated fat might melt the plastic bowl and lid.

If you are using this tool, heat noodles and fatty toppings separately.

2. All you need is an electric kettle, bowl, and plastic wrap

Recommended: ★★★★☆
Easiness           : ★★★★☆
Cleaning up      : ★★★★☆
Cooking Time  :  5 Minutes
Tools                 :  Electric kettle, a bowl, and plastic wrap

i. Cooking instant noodles this way means you don’t need a microwave.

If you only have an electric kettle at your office, you probably would want to cook your instant noodles this way.

What you need is hot water, instant noodles, a bowl, and plastic wrap.

ii. How to cook noodles this way?

1. Heat water in an electric kettle
2. Put instant noodles into hot water
3. Make a lid using plastic wrap
4. Wait for 5 minutes
5. Mix with soup packet
6. Done

iii. What does instant noodles cooked this way taste like?

As you know, bagged instant noodles are made to be boiled for a few minutes.

You might be wondering, is soaking these noodles in hot water cooking them in an ideal condition?

Or, does the soup turn cold while you are waiting for 5 minutes?

Good news:

Surprisingly, the instant ramen that was made by just soaking in hot water is not that different from the ramen that was cooked in boiling water.

I think it is better than microwaving instant noodles.

iv. Pros of cooking instant noodles this way

You don’t need a stove, pot, or microwave.

Imagine the situation, that your child is hungry and he or she wants to eat instant noodles for snack.

But you are not comfortable with your child using a stove or microwave.

Doing it this way, you just need to prepare hot water in a thermos bottle.

So your child can pour the hot water into the noodles and wrap the bowl and wait for 5 minutes.

v. Cons of cooking instant noodles this way

If you want to have piping hot boiling soup, then I don’t recommend doing it this way.

vi. Tips of cooking noodles with

I recommend using a deep bowl since deep bowls keep the temperature hot.

And noodles are cooked better in a deep bowl.

If you want to have really hot soup, then I recommend boiling extra water and pouring the hot water into the bowl to warm the bowl up.

After 30 seconds, get rid of the hot water, and start cooking in the bowl. 

3. The Laziest way: Electric kettle only

Recommended: ★★☆☆☆
Easiness           : ★★★☆☆
Cleaning up      : ★★★★★
Cooking Time  :  5 Minutes
Tools                 :  Electric kettle, a clip

i. Cooking instant noodles this way, you don’t need a bowl.

This means you don’t have to wash anything if you use disposable chopsticks or a fork.

ii. How to cook noodles this way?

1. Break the noodles in the bag.
2. Pour 1 and a quarter cup of hot water into the bag.
3. Close the bag with a clip and wait for 5 minutes.
4. Put the soup packet and mix. (Put in half the amount of the packet and adjust the taste as you like)
5. Done!

iii. What does instant noodles cooked this way taste like?

The noodles are a little hard compared to the noodles that are cooked by boiling.

Probably the temperature of the noodles isn’t high enough.

But it is not that bad! 

iv. Pros of cooking instant noodles this way

You only need hot water and instant noodles.

It means you don’t have to wash any dishes and pot.

What should you do after eating these noodle

Just throw the bag away into the trash can.

I think this is a good method for emergency situations

Like natural disasters where you cannot get cooking tools and tableware.

v. Cons of cooking instant noodles this way

It is difficult to cook and eat noodles in the bag.

You might think you need some support for the bag since this bag is made of soft plastic.

The bag doesn’t stand by itself.

Technically,  you don’t need anything but it is better to have a box to support.

4. Cup Noodles vs Bagged Noodles

There are two kinds of instant noodles.

Bagged instant noodles and instant noodles in a cup.

They are both cooked in hot water and take about 3 minutes to cook. 

However, there are some differences.

Keep reading and you will find out.

Bagged instant ramen looks like this.

Pros of bagged instant noodles are

1. You can arrange noodles by adding vegetables or proteins as topping.

2. Usually, they are sold as a pack of 5 so it is inexpensive compared to cup noodles.

3. It is smaller than cup noodles, so it doesn’t take up much space to store.

4. The expiry date is longer (8 month)

Cons of bagged instant noodles are…

1. You cannot pick the flavor if you buy in bulk. (You need to eat the same flavor at least 5 times)

2. You usually cook in a pot.

3. You need to wash a pot and other tableware.

Cup ramen looks like this.

Pros of cup noodles are…

1. You just need to pour hot water into the cup.

2. You don’t have to wash any pot or dishes.

3. You can pick the flavor each time.

Cons of cup noodles are…

1. It is difficult to add vegetables and meats as topping.

2. It is expensive compared to bagged instant noodles. 

3. You need storage space to stock.

4. The expiry date is longer (6 month)

Can I cook cup noodles in a microwave?

No, you can’t.

There are some exceptions where you can microwave cup noodles. 

But usually you cannot.

There are 2 reasons…

1. The lid of the cup is made of aluminum or some kind of metal.

It is dangerous to microwave metals because it can cause a fire.

2. The cup is made of plastic which is not made for high heat.

The cup will melt and your noodles will be ruined.

About the Author

Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".

"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.

Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.

If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.

Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.

I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.

My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)

Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.

My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.

Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."

 

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