Cup noodles are a quick fix, especially among young people; remember the countless times you took noodles for dinner during your campus days.
The addiction to placing everything in the microwave will tempt you to microwave your cup noodles. But can you microwave cup noodles?
Curiosity made my sibling and I, experiment with what happens when you microwave your cup noodles. The following are the findings we got.
Can You Microwave Cup Noodles?
NO. Manufacturers clearly indicate that the plastic cup packaging for noodles is not microwave-safe. The manufacturers recommend that you use alternative methods to cook a tasty meal.
Cup noodles are sold in single-use disposable plastic cups, which should not be reheated in the microwave.
Cup noodles are made from Styrofoam. Styrofoam material is ideal for storing hot foods since it is a poor conductor of heat. However, Styrofoam is microwave-safe.
Styrofoam is not designed for cooking; it warps and melts when subjected to high temperatures.
Microwave-safe plastics are labeled number 5, yet Styrofoam is labeled number 5, meaning it is unsafe for microwave use.
The cheap plastic containers contain BPA, a cancer-causing chemical compound.
However, it is safe to eat your ready nodules in the cup containers once they are ready. No need to transfer them onto a ceramic or glass plate.
Is It Safe To Microwave Cup Noodles?
No. it is not safe to microwave cup noodles.
Plastics contain high BPA levels. According to the Food and Drugs Authority, BPA is the leading cause of cancer in human and animal bodies.
The container is made of plastic which can’t withstand high microwave heat. The plastic will melt and leach dioxin toxins and plastic particles into your food.
The cup will melt before the noodles are ready for consumption.
The melted plastic can cause severe burns to your hands.
Once the plastic container melts, it can cause a fire in the microwave. It can also stick on the oven’s walls and cause cleaning difficulties.
How Do You Microwave Cup Noodles?
You should not microwave cup noodles in their Styrofoam containers. However, this is what you should do if you must use a microwave to prepare your noodles:
- Transfer your noodles to a microwave-safe bowl. Discard the wrapper safely.
- Add your desired seasonings and flavors to the noodle-filled bowl.
- Add your pre-boiled stock or water into the bowl until the noodles are fully covered.
- Microwave the noodles for 1 minute at high power at an interval of 30 seconds.
- Use your microwave-safe oven gloves to remove the hot bowl from the oven.
- Spread your preferred garnish and enjoy your meal.
How Long Can You Microwave Cup Noodles?
The recommended cooking time for noodles is 3 minutes.
Boil enough water to cover the noodles up to the mark on the container and cover them with a lid for 3 minutes.
Do not remove the lid before the 3-minute lapse; you end up with half-cooked crunchy noodles.
Worse still, if you extend the cooking time, you end up with annoyingly soggy noodles.
How Long Can You Microwave Cup Noodles?
Cup noodle manufacturers spell out the ‘DO NOT MICROWAVE’ warning on the cup containers to indemnify themselves against possible liability claims.
The manufacturers further give an easy-to-follow recipe with clear instructions for preparing noodles.
The cup noodle manufacturers take the deliberate initiative to caution their users because cup noodles are packaged in Styrofoam and plastic containers.
Styrofoam contains styrene, a poisonous, cancer-causing compound.
Styrofoam can keep hot fluids hot for quite some hours since it is a poor conductor of heat, but you can’t use it to cook food.
Styrofoam warps under high heat. The warping destroys the container’s architectural integrity, and the noodles spill over. The hot spillage causes severe burns when touched with bare hands and soils the oven.
Plastic noodle cups, like any plastic, are a health hazard because they contain high levels of BPA. Such plastic containers have some traces of aluminum on their lids. Aluminum sparks fire when heated in the microwave.
How Long Can You Microwave Cup Noodles?
The noodles industry is dynamic, with new inventions every new dawn.
The noodle manufacturers have invented a microwave-safe type of noodles (Nissin cup noodles) to keep up the microwave pressure.
The manufacturers put a microwave-safe label on this particular brand to differentiate it from the ordinary brand. The microwave-safe sticker, too, gives the consumers safety assurance to microwave the product.
Nissin cup Noodles containers are dioxin-free and can’t leach toxins to your food even when exposed to high temperatures. There are health hazards if you microwave Nissin noodles right in their packaging containers.
Microwave-safe noodle containers are substantial and can withstand microwave heat without warping or melting.
The Nissin noodle manufacturers give preparation instructions on the packaging container to keep it safe while ensuring a tasty meal.
Nissin cup noodles are available in top stores.
This is how you cook your Nissin noodles in the microwave:
- Put enough water to fill the marked level of the microwave-safe Nissin noodle container.
- Set your oven power at medium or low level and set the timer at 1 minute.
- Run the microwave at an interval of 30 seconds to monitor the cooking process and the condition of the container.
- Check if the noodles are as soft as desired.
- Use your microwave-safe oven gloves to remove the noodles from the oven.
- Garnish and eat your noodles.
Safety Precautions To Observe When You Microwave Nissin Cup Noodles
- Check out for a microwave-safe label on the packaging container. Never assume that a container is a microwave since there are many counterfeits in the market.
- Read the manufacturer’s guide on how to microwave Nissin cup noodles.
- Put water up to the marked level of the container or until your noodles are fully covered. Less water will leave your noodles uncooked and crunchy, while excess water makes them soggy.
- Set your microwave power at a medium level. Too much heat distorts the structure of your cup; it can even melt under high heat.
- Ensure you set your timer to 1 minute. Prolonging the cooking time raises the oven’s heat and melts the cup container.
- Use microwave-safe oven gloves to save your hands from the hot noodle container.
- Garnish your noodles to make them more appealing.
- If you must eat from the same container, leave it to cool.
Alternative Methods For Microwaving Cup Noodles
Noodles have been the leading snack for the past 50 years owing to their preparation convenience.
Unlike ancient ramen and handmade noodles, modern cup noodles are easy to make.
Back in the day, noodles could take up to 10 hours to prepare. It was a tedious exercise that involved extracting broth/stock from bone marrow and further kneading, rolling, and cutting the dough into thin strips.
Dynamic innovation and revolution, however, have reduced the 10-hour process to a few minutes of exercise, just steaming the Nissin for a few minutes to get a tasty snack.
The steaming process involves simple steps:
- Heat water in a microwave-safe cup.
- Pour hot water into the cup noodles to the marked level or until the noodles are fully covered.
- Add seasonings of your choice.
- Cover the cup with a lid.
- Leave the noodles in hot water for at least 3 minutes to get soft, well-done noodles.
- Remove the lid and garnish your noodles as desired.
FAQS
Can You Get Cancer From Microwaving Cup Noodles?
Cancer is not a one-time disease. It accelerates depending on the exposure you have to the cancer-causing agents.
Cup noodles come in Styrofoam containers that contain carcinogenic styrene.
Styrofoam (when heated) releases potentially harmful chemical compounds.
Please note that these Styrofoam containers are meant for single use to minimize overexposure, leading to more toxins being released.
Some cup containers are made from low-quality plastics with unsafe BPA levels. BPA is a leading cancer-causing compound.
You will likely suffer from cancer if you continually ingest styrene and BPA particles from the noodle cups.
You are therefore advised to use a safer method to prepare our noodles.
Can You Cook Noodles Without Hot Water?
It is possible to cook cup noodles in cold water since noodles just require absorbing water molecules that make them soft.
However, it takes longer to cook cup noodles in cold water than it would take to cook noodles in hot water.
Wrap Up
It is unsafe to microwave traditional cup noodles since they are sold in microwave-unsafe containers.
A recent invention has seen the discovery of a microwave-safe type of noodles- Nissin cup noodles. These noodles have a microwave-safe label on their packaging container.
You should check the manufacturer’s instructions to differentiate microwave-safe noodles from microwave-unsafe noodles.