Pro Chefs Blind Taste Test Every Instant Ramen

[Narrator] We've gathered three professional chefs

to blind taste test every instant ramen brand

we could get our hands on,

to see which ones meet their standards.

[clock ticking] [packaging crinkling]

Nissin Top Ramen chicken flavor.

It looks a little bland.

Maybe American version of an instant noodle.

Mm, too yellow for me, I think.

What I look for in a great bowl of ramen,

first of all is the noodle texture.

I want my noodles to be very bouncy.

Supposed to be not so soft.

So ramen noodle made from high protein flour,

also little alkaline water.

It enhances the pH level.

It strengthens the gluten structure of the dough,

and that makes it chewy, bouncy and firm in the hot broth.

For instant ramen broth,

I'm looking for natural, deep flavor.

[Toshiaki] Not so salty, not too light.

It's not one dimensional.

It should have, fattiness, umami.

So when I look at the package,

whatever the flavor they're saying,

I need to taste it when I'm eating the broth.

It's like a one dimension flavor of chicken,

like a Campbell chicken soup.

[Douglas] There's no complexity and basically

it tastes like a chicken bouillon with the water.

The ramen texture, I don't love it.

It's very soft. It doesn't have much texture at all.

Sort of like a lower-end version of a instant noodle.

It tastes like almost like the Nissin Top Ramen.

Top Ramen.

Mm, Top Ramen?

Oh! Whoa.

Oh, I got it right. [chuckling]

Top Ramen chicken flavor.

Yeah. A lot of ingredients

that you will not see from restaurant ramen.

The ingredients, some of them I can't even pronounce.

Silicon Powdered chicken.

Rendered chicken fat.

I remember buying this in, like,

a Walmart when I was in high school.

It was like 25 cents.

It will feed a lot of hungry college students.

[packaging crinkling]

[Narrator] Nongshim Shin Black Premium noodle soup

with beef bone broth.

It looks pretty good.

I see a lot of garnishes.

I see shiitake, scallion.

It has a little more garlic and a spice smell to it.

I'm gonna say this is a Korean ramen.

It has this gochugaru chili flake.

This is definitely a step up.

The flavor is more assertive

When you look at the broth,

it actually has a little more creaminess to it.

To me, it looks like the paitan base,

paitan is basically you cook the bone.

The collagen and the fat from the bones are extracted,

creating this savory creamy broth.

Texture of noodle is good.

I think it holds a little better.

It's more bouncier in my mouth.

I think this is a Shin Black.

Oh!

Wow, see?

It's the Shin Black, I see.

Shin, this means spice, spicy.

It has the beef bone broth.

Beef bone broth is more fattier, richer than beef broth.

Have to cook long time to get beef marrow into the soup.

This is one of my favorite instant ramen.

[Narrator] Nissin Cup Noodles chicken flavor.

Just by look of it, I don't like it.

It has this cardboard smell.

Smells like Cup Noodle smell.

Definitely this is Japanese ramen, I think.

The broth is very one dimensional.

[Toshiaki] This broth is a little light.

It need more on the flavor

And the noodle is very soggy.

It doesn't hold any texture at all.

The purpose of this noodle,

if this is Cup Noodles, is very different.

It has to be cooked faster.

In the lower temperature water,

they use more starch than wheat flour.

You can't expect the same texture

from the stove top cooking noodles.

Cup Noodles?

Cool.

[chuckling] I got it.

Wow, Cup Noodle.

Now in paper cup, microwaveable.

The stove top is a lot better,

just because you're boiling the noodle

so you have more control

of how much you're cooking the noodle.

The cup cook a little uneven,

since the top of the noodle may be little undercooked

than the ones that are in the bottom.

[packaging crinkling]

[Narrator] Buldak chicken carbonara.

It smells creamy.

It looks very spicy.

I smell sort of a capsaicin,

spice compounds found in chilies.

Yeah. Nice and spicy.

Holy [beep]!

Spicy. [laughing]

[Eunjo] It has flavors that are sweet, spicy, fatty.

Looks like spicy ketchup.

They're a thicker, wavy noodle that holds its shape.

[Toshiaki] Nice and chewy.

The sauces are clinging to the noodle a lot better.

The Korean ramen usually they make traditional dish

and turn it into ramen base.

This remind me of a duck poke,

which has a sweet and salty balance.

I like this flavor.

I do like it a lot.

I think it's a Buldak series.

There's only one company

that's pushing this spice level at the moment.

Oh, no way. Yeah, it's Buldak.

It's Korean.

Apparently the most viral Buldak flavor, the carbonara.

I'm not getting chicken carbonara on this.

It's pretty good.

I like it.

[packaging crinkling]

[Narrator] Buldak spicy chicken.

This is another dry ramen.

There's no broth.

Dried noodle again,

Usually you boil the noodle, you strain it,

and then you mix with the seasoning or the packet.

I see chili in the bottom.

I'm not scared of spice.

I like hot.

Whoa. Super hot.

Noodle texture's perfect.

[Eunjo] Still bouncy and holds its shape.

Noodle texture is good,

but I prefer the square, thicker one.

Better noodle to sauce ratio.

Very chili flake forward

with a hint of chicken flavor to it.

I taste a lot more MSG in this one.

There's too much spicy, but can't stop.

MSG makes addictive.

I think this bowl of ramen is a Buldak original flavor.

This has to be a Korean.

Japanese stuff is not so spicy.

[packaging crinkling]

Yeah, see? Same company.

Stir fried artificial spicy chicken flavor ramen.

I could not identify the chicken flavor.

I would like the carbonara better

because, to me, that's a little more balanced.

It is quite spicy.

My stomach is heating up very nicely right now.

[packaging crinkling]

[Narrator] Maruchan ramen noodle soup chicken flavor.

Scared to try it 'cause there's no garnish,

just this yellow broth and the noodle.

Yeah, it looks very bland.

Very similar to, you know, Top Ramen.

[Douglas] This is like the same caliber as Top Ramen.

Ramen have to be eaten right away.

Don't let it wait.

[chefs slurping]

Mm-hmm.

Has little more complexity compared to the Top Ramen.

It actually has a little more richer chicken flavor.

Yeah, this is nice.

You know, the wavy noodles, good texture.

So the wavy noodles are steamed,

piped into a disc or square

and it gets deep fried to take out the moisture

for longer shelf-life.

It creates all these small pores into the noodle.

So when you pour the hot broth to it, it cooks faster, too.

And when I slurped it,

soup actually clings to the noodle better.

I'm gonna guess chicken flavor Maruchan?

Ah, okay.

The other brand, Maruchan.

Contains powdered cooked chicken.

I don't know if that's different

than just regular powdered chicken.

Powdered chicken is dehydrated chicken,

crushed to, like, powder.

That means easy to rehydrate with hot water.

So it gives a chicken flavor.

Pretty surprisingly not bad.

[Narrator] Trader Joe's miso ramen soup.

We got the first ramen that is not wavy.

Now I'm seeing straight noodles.

[Eunjo] Straight noodles are supposed to be more denser

and chewier compared to the wavy ones.

You see these noodles are more thinner

and also the color is a little more whiter.

It means it's less alkaline content in there.

This is interesting.

Smells like a little bit of miso.

Not Japanese.

It tastes healthy in a not good way.

This pretty bad.

The flavor is very, in a good way, delicate.

Possibly vegetarian.

[Douglas] You can taste a little bit hint of miso,

but it wasn't deep enough.

The texture of the noodle is not good at all.

It almost breaks in my mouth when I put them in.

Each noodle is sticking together.

[Eunjo] I'm wondering if the noodle

contains different starch.

I don't know, I never tried an American ramen,

but could be America.

I wouldn't try it again.

Oh, no way.

Trader Joe's miso ramen soup

[laughing] Trader Joe's.

Oh, it is vegan.

It tastes vegan.

So in Japan we have many type of noodle soup.

Ramen, udon, soba, so if you want vegan,

make a vegan noodle soup, don't go to ramen.

This one really shocked me, this one.

[Narrator] Ichiran take-home ramen kit.

Another straight noodle

Looks like a paitan base.

The color of the soup looks like tonkotsu ramen.

Tonkotsu ramen is a pork ramen.

It's like cloudy, like this color.

[chefs slurping]

This one is very flavorful.

I like this a lot.

Very complex, very deep.

Finally, I get fat.

I like this.

Maybe it's tonkotsu.

Ton basically is a pork and kotsu is the bone.

Tastes like Hakata-style ramen,

which is a tonkotsu base and thin noodles

and straight noodles.

Hakata is the name of the place, my hometown.

[Eunjo] It feels that noodle is not fried.

When you doing the frying process,

the water needs to escape from the noodles,

though it creates kind of a very, very small rough texture.

It has the silkiness, I'm guessing maybe it's air-dried.

[Douglas] It has a little al dente texture in the middle.

The closest one I can guess

is like maybe the Ichiran ramen.

Reminds me of Ichiran.

Ah. Oh, no way.

Ichiran. It is the Ichiran ramen.

Oh my goodness.

The Hakata-style thin, straight noodle.

The noodle's wheat flour, wheat protein, salt, lye water.

That's the alkaline solution.

This ramen is a higher quality than the other ones.

Delicious. I'll buy it again.

[Narrator] Sapporo Ichiban original flavor.

This reminds me the yellow broth ramen packs

but with beef smell.

Broth is dark because soy sauce.

[chefs slurping]

Hmm. The flavor of the broth

is surprisingly good.

Very beefy, maybe with this deep color,

it's shoyu-based, the soy sauce base.

To be honest with you, there's so much MSG,

I can't even tell what this is.

And the noodle texture is pretty soft.

It is soft, but I wouldn't complain.

Yeah, this is standard noodles, not too soft.

Nice lengths to eat.

Yeah, this is great.

Sapporo?

Sapporo Ichiban?

Oh, Ah, okay.

[chuckling] Bingo.

Sapporo Ichiban, this is a major brand in Japan.

And this is Tokyo-style ramen.

This is basically a chintan base with the shoyu flavor.

It's the chintan where the broth is cooked

in a lower temperature.

The flavor is lot lighter and more clear.

Daily recommendation for sodium is 2,300 milligram.

And this one has 1,820 milligrams.

When you eat this whole package, you are almost there.

[Narrator] Hikari Menraku tonkotsu taste

restaurant style ramen.

Another straight noodle.

Just by looking at the broth, you know it's gonna be creamy.

Definitely a tonkotsu soup.

Smell pork, which is a good sign.

I know what I'm eating.

This looks good.

[chefs slurping]

The flavor is complex.

It has nice balance to it.

This type of noodles taste like champon noodles.

It looks like ramen noodles, but more thick.

So when you cook this kind of noodles,

I think you need a bigger pot

so that the noodles can release the starch better.

If you don't boil it correctly,

makes a little more gummier, I think, than other noodles,

The noodle holds the shape well.

I would say this like restaurant quality ramen.

I like more than Ichiban.

I like Ichiban better.

This one has less kick and a little more MSG in it.

Personally, I don't love this.

It has this, like, off smell that I am not too fond of.

Whoa, okay.

Restaurant style soup.

Restaurant style ramen tonkotsu.

Fish sauce, vegetable powder, Chinese bamboo shoot.

Oh, maybe it's the bamboo shoot

that has this little funky smell to it.

It says Restaurant Style Ramen

and I think they achieved it,

but not my favorite to be honest.

But actually this is a top three.

[Narrator] Indomie Mi Goreng fried noodles.

We got a bowl of dry ramen.

Actually, I'm going into a different country.

It has this, like, a sweet soy.

Yeah, just one flavor, sweet.

I think it could be a little more aggressive.

[Eunjo] The noodles are thinner.

It has nice texture, nice mouth feel.

Do I like it?

I'm okay.

This is not my favorite, but I can eat.

Sort of like China, Southeast Asia.

Tastes like Mi Goreng from Indonesia.

Ah, Mi Goreng. Oh, yeah.

The flavor was very distinct

According to what I know,

Indomie is the most popular brand from Indonesia.

Yeah, I would try it again.

It's a fun noodle, flavorful.

[Narrator] Ottogi spicy jin ramen.

This smells like home.

This is definitely spicy ramen.

Yeah. Smells like a Korean one again.

Garnishes that are not too giant, but pretty good.

[chefs slurping]

The flavor of the broth is very comforting.

Very umami, garlicky, oniony.

I taste a lot of kombu, is a kelp.

Bring up the umami.

[Eunjo] It has nice spice in the back of the throat.

This is a lower-end version

of the Black Shin ramen I tasted earlier.

Can see the broth a little more transparent.

Wavy noodle, I like this best.

Much more chewy.

It's like a classic Korean instant ramen.

Jin ramen, the spicy one from Ottogi.

Jin ramen?

Jin ramen, Korean.

There's a lot of cult following for this brand,

but actually my wife loves this brand.

Noodles got a little tapioca and potato starch

to help the noodle to stay firm, bouncy texture.

And it also holds in hot broth longer.

It's one of my go-to-ramens, so I'm glad I got this right.

[Narrator] Lotus Foods red miso rice ramen.

This one's a tough one.

I have no idea what this is.

Maybe this is gluten-free noodle.

It's just laying in the broth and soggy.

[chefs slurping]

Oh, my God.

This is very bad.

It's terrible.

No taste.

It just tastes like mottled veggie water.

The broth is very thin.

They use a lot of seaweed to bring up the umami flavor,

but it didn't work.

Looks like miso soup, but, mm, a lot of seaweed.

The noodle is very bad, too.

[Toshiaki] I never tried the noodle like this.

It's chewy, but not in a good way.

Tastes like a sponge.

No texture.

Definitely gluten-free.

What is this?

Like a health conscious vegan gluten-free bowl of ramen.

Trader Joe's again?

Whoa. Ah.

Oh, Lotus Foods.

Oh my goodness.

Red miso, tamari.

Noodle made with organic brown rice.

So it is on the healthier side.

But I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

Very bad.

[Narrator] Mama pork flavor instant noodles.

This broth also got this very distinct smell.

Not Japan.

More South Asian country, I think.

[chefs slurping]

Man, this is pretty bad, too.

Little cardboardy flavor.

It's very bland, has no depth.

[Eunjo] Has a lot of artificial flavor as well.

Flavor is okay, for me, but need more stronger.

But texture of the noodles remind me of Cup Noodles,

but it came in the bowl so I have a higher expectation.

It's already very soft and soggy.

No way. Oh, my God.

Mama pork flavor, Thai.

I've never tasted this brand before.

I wasn't a fan of it.

This is not what I expected from Mama.

[Narrator] Maggi 2-minute masala noodles.

I smell curry.

It's less brothy.

The noodles are thinner.

I get distinct curry flavor.

It's very savory, nicely balanced.

[Toshiaki] Noodles is soft, too soft.

It looks more white.

I think they put less alkaline,

'cause if you put more alkaline,

the noodles become more yellowish.

That's one reason why maybe I don't get a chewy texture.

No Japanese.

Maggi Masala.

It's pretty good.

I'm very surprised that it's very well-balanced.

This is okay, I like it.

But not much, but I eat it.

[Narrator] Momofuku spicy soy noodles.

Yeah, I smell soy sauce.

Maybe hints of sesame oil.

Fun-looking noodle.

It's, like, flat and wiggly.

We call it massaman.

Massa means mixed, sauce on the bottom.

It's very savory and umami.

So weak. I don't know what it is.

Flavor-wise, I don't know what this flavor is.

Taste nothing.

Noodle actually was better than sauce itself.

It's a nice texture.

It has a smoother texture.

Perhaps it's air-dried.

Wavy flat noodles.

It's not common, but it's good.

I used to work at Momofuku.

It just brings me back the memory

of this ramen shape that's very unique.

Oh, my God. [laughing]

Momofuko!

Hello, old friend.

Spicy Soy.

This ingredients very shorter than any other product.

I don't know if it's good or bad, but no good for taste.

I've been really wanting to try this noodle

for a very long time,

but to actually finally be able to taste it.

So, thank you.

[Narrator] Let's see which ramen brands

our chefs like the most?

My favorite ramen that I tried today,

the Ichiran tonkotsu ramen.

Ichiran was my favorite one.

[Eunjo] It had the silky noodle

and savory creamy broth with the chilies.

One of my favorite today is Sapporo Ichiban.

I've eaten for a long time.

It's flavorful, texture of the noodle is great.

I really enjoyed the jin ramen spicy one by Ottogi.

It's spice, savoriness brought me a lot of nostalgia.

My other favorite was Nongshim Shin Black.

That remind me of like very traditional Korean ramen,

with the richness in the broth and high quality garnish.

Instant Ramen is more than a convenient food.

It's a nostalgia food.

If the science keeps developing,

I think one day instant ramen

could be as good as restaurant quality ramen.

Yeah, some good ones, some bad ones.

Just have to pick the right ones that you can enjoy.