A couple of weeks ago I was looking for articles to add to The Ramen Rater Noodle News and found an article with a YouTube video attached. Apparently, a recent college graduate had made something that involves cooking instant noodles and it would start selling at Walmart. I thought I’d see if I could contact the guy and get a sample of the product to review. Well, he sent a couple and here we go! Chris Johnson is the inventor of the Rapid Ramen Cooker. It promises speedy delivery of your instant noodles via the microwave! Before the review, here’s an interview I did with him recently via email.

THE RAMEN RATER> Hi Chris – thank you very much for this opportunity to find out more about your great new invention! First, how did you get the idea to make it?

CHRIS JOHNSON> I have always loved ramen noodles as kid, survived on them while I was in college, and I still love ramen noodles to this very day. I grew tired of making it on the stove. It takes entirely too long. It takes over 5 minutes just to boil two cups of water, and it takes six more minutes to cook the noodles. Then you have to let them cool. That’s over 12 minutes to cook ramen noodles. That is about the same it takes to cook a full meal. To cook ramen in the microwave you have to crush the ramen noodles in the typically circular shaped bowl, add water, and place in the microwave. Retrieving the bowl out of the microwave is a difficult task as the bowl is blistering hot to the touch. Sometimes the noodles turn out ok, but most times the ramen noodles are unevenly cooked, pasty, unappealing, and do not taste very good. I had the epiphany, I would create a bowl that makes perfect ramen noodles in the microwave every time, and that’s what I did. Thus creating the Rapid Ramen Cooker.

TRR> How has the public responded to your invention?

CJ> It has been out of this world! Once people found out about the product, our online sales skyrocketed. We sold over 2,000 Rapid Ramen Cookers just in the last 3 days! People love them! We has received national and international attention from major retailers, and we have even received a call from one of the top ramen manufacturers. People love the product and we get tremendous feedback daily. It is truly humbling, to see people all across the country loving a product that you created.

TRR> Can you tell us a little about the development; how was the first version different from the final product?

CJ> There are many square bowls on the market. However none are specifically engineered to cook ramen perfectly in the microwave. Many bowls dimensions are too big and heat excess water leaving the ramen pasty and unevenly cooked. I had to go through countless tests to achieve the perfect measurements of the reservoir design. After hundreds of packs of ramen, I finally developed a bowl that cooks perfect ramen noodles every time.

TRR> There are lots of different types of instant noodles from all over the world – which brands and have you found to be compatible with your product?

CJ> Just about all of the dry block square type noodles are compatible with the Rapid Ramen Cooker; including Maruchan, Top Ramen, and Sapporo Ichiban to name a few.

TRR> How many packs of instant noodles do you think you cooked in the testing process?

CJ> Over 200 packs! I needed to simulate the heat distribution of the stove top. I wanted the noodles to be perfect! Therefore I continued to test until it worked indisputably. At the outset, I wanted to create the world’s fastest and easiest way to cook ramen noodles. I believe I have done that.

TRR> I read that your product is being sold at Walmart in California – can you tell us about that?

CJ> Yes, due to the recent national exposure and phenomenal sales volume online; I’m in talks with Walmart to go nationally in all of their US stores. It is quite exciting, however it is a process.

TRR> Where is the Rapid Ramen Cooker made?

CJ> Currently the Rapid Ramen Cookers are being made in Nanjing, China. I have teamed with a great manufacturer in China that produces products for GM and Ford. To ensure that we stay proactive with the demand of these national retailers, we are in the process of locating manufacturing in the US as well.

TRR> What is your opinion of the public’s view on instant ramen noodles and health concerns concerning them?

CJ> Some of the concerns are valid, especially when it relates to sodium. Most of these packs of ramen contains seasoning packets that are extremely high in sodium. The Rapid Ramen Cooker solves this problem. The Rapid Ramen Cooker only requires half the water, therefore you only need half the seasoning packet. Rapid Ramen reduces the sodium by half, and still provides the same great taste.

TRR> How does the Rapid Ramen Cooker do with non-domestic instant noodles – bean thread, rice noodes, udon? How about larger sized blocks as come in South Korean varieties?

CJ> You know, I haven’t tried these just yet.

TRR> What’s in the future of the Rapid Ramen Cooker – any more inventions on the horizon?

CJ> We are solely ferociously focused on our number one goal; that is to provide Rapid Ramen Cookers to every consumer of ramen noodles worldwide.

TRR> What’s your favorite variety of ramen?

CJ> I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes to my ramen. My favorite is a pack beef flavor Maruchan, Top Ramen, or Sapporo Ichiban with Ling Ling potstickers and sliced hot links! I cook them all at once in the Rapid Ramen Cooker in 4 minutes!! Delicious!

TRR> Thanks again for the opportunity to find out more about your great invention, the Rapid Ramen Cooker!

CJ> Thank you so much for your time Hans! Want to get one of your own? Check out www.rapidramen.com to find out how! (you can also find them on Amazon here)