Ramen for LT

[Stwood]

So I checked out the Ramen assortment at Walmart the other day. Prices look ok.
Then picked up a small beef flavored package next door at Dollar Tree while we were there.
Got it fixed up and the taste was actually fairly good.
So I'm thinking it should be a good LT item to have.

Do any of you keep it in your supply?

I'm thinking a plastic tub with all of the flavors would be another cheap food item to have.
There are 4 basic flavors from what I've seen.
Beef, pork, chicken, and shrimp.

[Morning Sunshine]

we discussed this once.  and there was some variety of storage.  let me see if I can find....

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=9014.0  this is not the one I remember.  I will continue my search

ack.  I cannot find it.

I know that I bought a lot for real cheap one time, and the noodles went rancid after about 6 months.  I stored it with all my other food and have no problems with things going bad.

[Redman]

The longest I've ever kept any was about 4 years. I kept them on a shelf with no special preservation just as packaged. No problem with bugs in them either. Hadn't intended to keep them that long but I just stopped eating them then started again.

[Redman]

Checking my supply of noodles this morning. 47 containers Cup Noodles best by 5/18 stored in an end table in the original packaging. Wife ate one cup a couple weeks ago. No complaints. 70+ packages Ramen noodles stored on various shelves inside the house and in the original packaging. All have best by dates in 2019. Here is a thread I started a year ago sort of commenting on shelf life.

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=61738.0

I'm thinking ramen noodles are much like pasta and lasts virtually forever.

Cups Noodles are single serving. The noodle blocks are enough for 2 servings. Mix with whatever meat and veggies you have.

[Stwood]

MS and Red thanks for searching those present links. I'll look em over.
The ones we bought as samples are the square pack.
MS I wonder if you got a bad batch of packaging that wasn't sealed good.
Was it the cups or squares?

[Redman]

These can be pretty good too. When they say hot and spicy that's exactly what they mean. Voice of experience here. There are various Asian and Indonesian styles. They are more expensive.

[Stwood]

I'll look into those. DT or wally's had packs of 3? I think.

[Redman]

DT? I usually buy the square packages of noodles by the box 24/box. Lately I've seen other size packages. I bought 24 pks. of Top Ramen brand in 6pk packages. I think one reason I got them so cheap was they were getting close to the best by date. I didn't notice when I bought them but would have anyway. Stores have to get them off the shelf I believe after the BB date. I've seen those noodle bowls in a local Asian store in 12pk.? boxes. I've never bought those but when working with the Asians and Burmese I would trade mangos for a bowl. Aldi had mangos cheap at the time.

[Stwood]

DT Dollar Tree

I'll probably start with the cases/packages with the multiple square packages.

The samples I picked up at DT was 5 packs for a dollar. Thats pretty cheap meals, and for LT storage, you could pack a bunch in for not much coin.

Waiting for MS to pop back in with her storage experience....

[Smurf Hunter]

A nutritional aside, something I learned about dried ramen when I was an adult leader in boy scouts was they are fairly "empty" calories. 
What I mean is, while they would seem like the perfect backpacking food, being light and simple to prepare with just hot water, they really don't provide much nourishment.
That said, they are extremely cheap, and store well.  I figure during some emergency, giving out cup of noodles to neighbors is great ROI.

Keep putting up the ramen, but please make sure that's not your only source for long term calories and nutrients.

[Stwood]

Thanks. Yes, we have other storage, just looking for other selections, trying to expand the LT supply.
And, these could be added to as in meal preparation. Ad some meat if you have some on hand.

[Redman]

  Dollar Tree. I haven't looked for them there. I keep them around for LT storage and breakfast from time to time. Add meat and veggies or not. Filling but yes by themselves pretty much empty calories. Use chopsticks to eat them. Keep up with that aspect of SHTF preps, you might lose your metal stuff.

[Stwood]

I can barely spell chopsticks, so using them is out for me. 

[Stwood]

we discussed this once.  and there was some variety of storage.  let me see if I can find....

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=9014.0  this is not the one I remember.  I will continue my search

ack.  I cannot find it.

I know that I bought a lot for real cheap one time, and the noodles went rancid after about 6 months.  I stored it with all my other food and have no problems with things going bad.

That one is a real good one MS.

[Redman]

I can barely spell chopsticks, so using them is out for me. 

Bunch of vids on YT how to use them. I've seen lots of ways to hold them. Whatever works for you. I used to be able to pick up individual rice grains with them but I seem to have lost some skill with them. I needed pointed chopsticks to do it also. What you usually find is fairly blunt.

[Smurf Hunter]

I can barely spell chopsticks, so using them is out for me. 

As a kid, we lived as ex-pats in Asia for a few years.  Eating with chopsticks was far from the most difficult cultural adjustment

[atherts]

Asian markets have a much wider selection of ramen type noodle packages. They are much tastier too.
Some actually have some meat or meat like product.
I was at a local Thai/Vietnamese grocery store picking up inexpensive spices and greens for Thai sausage. They have two aisles of ramen variations ranging from under a buck up to $5 or more.
I've had good taste success with the Korean and Thai variations, some are very spicy.
Add some veggie, egg and maybe sliced meat or ground beef and you've got a nice variety in your preps.

[Stwood]

Add some veggie, egg and maybe sliced meat or ground beef and you've got a nice variety in your preps.

 

That's was what I was thinking.

You can put lipstick on a pig sometimes. 

[Redman]

As a kid, we lived as ex-pats in Asia for a few years.  Eating with chopsticks was far from the most difficult cultural adjustment

This.^^^^ Learn chopsticks, it's easy.

Also agree with atherts, the Korean and Thai or even Burmese stuff is quite good.

Lipstick on pigs works too.

[Stwood]

Lipstick on pigs works too.

 

[Bradbn4]

These can be pretty good too. When they say hot and spicy that's exactly what they mean. Voice of experience here. There are various Asian and Indonesian styles. They are more expensive.

That version is some high end "stuff'.  The chicken version is quite good.  I keep some around for days I don't feel like going out for lunch at work.  I add some good chili sauce and it adds a nice flavor to it.

I would not call these long term storage - but should be good for 1 - 2 years without issue.

[Stwood]

Ck'ed Aldi's today for Ramen stock. None in stock. 

[Bradbn4]

Bulk amounts of the Ramen can be found in my local Sam's Club.  I have seen the Korean style (Nong Shim ) that has more of a miso style taste.  I just pick out the fake crab / fish parts and the soup tastes fine.

if the food is not quite to your taste, I find that using TABASCO Sriracha Sauce works wonders.   

For real cheap soups, I add a pinch of dried soup veggies from my long term storage.

[Redman]

Ck'ed Aldi's today for Ramen stock. None in stock. 

I don't recalled ever seeing it in the store but I've never looked for it there. I did find this searching Aldi's ramen noodles.

https://www.aldi.us/en/recipes/main/soups-chilis/spicy-ramen/

https://www.aldi.us/en/recipes/main/soups-chilis/hot-sour-soup/

The Hot and Sour Soup doens't seem quite traditional but sounds good. I've eaten Hot and Sour soup in restaurants and made it at home from Chinese cookbooks.

[Redman]

Bulk amounts of the Ramen can be found in my local Sam's Club.  I have seen the Korean style (Nong Shim ) that has more of a miso style taste.  I just pick out the fake crab / fish parts and the soup tastes fine.

Prices seem OK, 48 ct. box. I've never tried the Nong Shim but miso style taste would be good.

if the food is not quite to your taste, I find that using TABASCO Sriracha Sauce works wonders.   

For real cheap soups, I add a pinch of dried soup veggies from my long term storage.

Miso, a paste of fermented soybeans. That and gochujang, red pepper paste, are good additions to noodles IMO.

[armymars]

WOW!

[Stwood]

WOW!

That good huh?? 



Back to Wally's today to see if their selection had changed. Yep......no beef flavored ramen.
And the others were sparse. Must be a popular item......
12 packs of chicken were the biggest boxes they had, and the individual packs.

So....headed to DT and picked up a few more 5 packs.

[Redman]

That good huh?? 

The bean paste and red pepper paste? Yes IMO.


Back to Wally's today to see if their selection had changed. Yep......no beef flavored ramen.
And the others were sparse. Must be a popular item......
12 packs of chicken were the biggest boxes they had, and the individual packs.

So....headed to DT and picked up a few more 5 packs.

Was at my local Wally's this morning and didn't see many noodles in the Asian section, bowls and cups only I think.. I didn't go down all the aisles so don't know if they had the square packs of noodles elsewhere. 4lb. GV sugar was $1.2? and 25 lb. GV AP flour was $8.5?. I had previously paid $5.87 for 25 lb. GV flour.

[Stwood]

Ours has all the ramen together.

GV sugar is always $1.98 here. 

[Redman]

Blind hog time here. Hit ramen noodles 15 @ $1.00. Quantity they couldn't sell last week at a somewhat higher price. Wasn't advertised.  Got 30 packages. me   wife