Instant ramen is one of the cheapest, easiest made meals a college student could ask for.
You don’t even need to know how to boil water. It takes three minutes to cook ramen in the microwave, and zero minutes to eat it raw, which is possible because it is a precooked alkaline noodle.
Alkalinity refers to the basicness of a food, as opposed to its acidity. According to PBS’ “The Mind of a Chef,” the basic alkaline ingredients in ramen noodles change the chemical environment of flour, causing the noodles to yellow and have more texture.
Alkaline noodles can also be cooked in a short amount of time, while remaining firm. Ordinary noodles dissolve in boiling water if they are heated too quickly or for a long amount of time.
Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant Nissin ramen, used alkaline noodles because he wanted a noodle which could be easily prepared and eaten anywhere. According to Nissin Food, instant ramen was Ando’s solution to the lack of food sources resulting from World War II.
When Nissin Foods’ product first hit Japan’s shelves in 1958 it was considered a luxury item and was sold at six times the cost of udon noodles. However, by the end of that same year it was a Japanese staple.
Within a decade instant ramen was global with numerous companies adopting the idea. According to The New Yorker, instant ramen was brought to America in the familiar foam cup, Nissin’s Cup O’ Noodles, in 1973.
As sales increased, prices decreased and ramen became affordable for the penniless college student. According to Huffington Post, instant ramen costs on average about 13 cents per package, and would only cost $142.65 dollars a year if it was your only food source.
What’s the catch?
According to a study conducted by professors at Harvard and Baylor University, eating ramen may increase a person’s risk of having metabolic syndrome. The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines metabolic syndrome as a group of risk factors that raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and strokes.
The study observed male and female participants in South Korea. Women who consumed instant noodles at least twice a week showed higher risks of metabolic syndrome, though there was no apparent correlation between the two in the male participants.
However, according to Huffington Post, New York University professor and nutritionist Lisa Young said risks of metabolic syndrome can be reduced by eating vegetables with small noodle portions.
It is both a matter of weighing one’s wallet against one’s health, and weighing one’s vegetables against one’s ramen.
Ramen comes with risks. Eat responsibly.
Curly Croutons:
1. Toss a salad of spinach, lettuce, olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes.
2.Top with crumbled raw ramen, shredded mozzarella cheese, and favorite dressing.
Vegetable Melodies:
1. Microwave ramen. Drain half of the water. Add flavoring.
2. Fork ramen into a bowl. Top with Chinese take-out vegetables
a. May cook and add frozen vegetables.
b. May heat frozen vegetables in water along with ramen in step 1.
Cream of Ramen
1. Microwave two ramen packages. Completely drain water.
2. Add cream of mushroom, milk, and pepper to taste.
3. Top with baked chicken.
Green Eggs and No Ham:
1. Stir constantly until ramen is soft and eggs are cooked.
2. Pour 5 cups of water into a deep pan. Add a teaspoon of soy sauce.
3. Add ramen and flavoring. Bring to boil.
4. Add 3 handfuls of spinach and 3 eggs.