Brian Michael

Hello fellow chefs! Recently, my buddy Ian and I were thoroughly ridiculed for purchasing TV dinners. As very busy college students, student organization executive board members, and employees at our respective establishments, time is a very valuable resource. Why spend time cooking when I can instead spend it staring at the same line of code for hours on end because my brain cannot take anymore input for the day?

Alas, a home-cooked meal is necessary after a long game jam weekend filled with fast food and no salads. However, oftentimes when I try to find recipes, the websites I find are littered with ads. I also just don’t know what websites are worth my time. I’m sure you all share this struggle, but have no fear- I am here to provide a delicious meal without anything getting in the way of you preparing your dish. Without further ado, let us dive into a personal favorite of mine, ramen (pictured above)!

Ingredients

• Maruchan ramen cup
• water

Before we go any further, I must reiterate that this recipe requires a cup of Maruchan ramen, not a packet. This is because the packets are gross in comparison.

Equipment

• microwave
• microwavable cup
• fork (does not need to be microwavable)

Steps

1. When I make guides, I like to make them as thorough as possible. As such, let’s begin with your trip to Walmart. The ramen aisle should be near other dry foods. It may be hard to find at first, but make sure you’re looking for that Maruchan logo. Once again, do not get the packets. Get the cups. Please.
2. Put the ramen cups (not packets) in your cart/basket. This part is crucial- oftentimes I forget to do this and end up walking around Walmart with a full load in my hands. This, in turn, makes people believe I am a fool when I am, in fact, not a fool. If you forgot a cart/basket, leave the ramen, grab a cart/basket, and restart from step one.
3. Purchase the ramen cups. Pretty self-explanatory, but an important step nonetheless. The last thing you need to be known for is ramen theft.
4. Enter your kitchen of choice. Typically, a kitchen with a sink and a microwave is my go-to.
5. Open a ramen cup and put the ramen in a separate, microwave-friendly cup (important) (and what I do every time).
6. Put the ramen in the microwave and set it for two (2) minutes. Fun fact: if you stare at the timer, it goes down faster.
7. Once the ramen is done, remove it from the microwave and wait a (1) minute or two (2) for the ramen to cool down. Unless, of course, you’re me- then immediately start eating and scald your tounge.
8. Assuming you’re not me, dig in! Don’t forget the optionally microwave-friendly fork.