*This review will go live on Goodreads on September 1st, per the request of the Publisher!

I don’t often request cookbooks as ARCs, but I love Ramen. The honest truth is, I eat a pack of instant noodles pretty much every day. Not just because it’s cheap, but also because I genuinely like it! So this book immediately caught my eye.

It was a great mix of information and instruction. Peter Kim teaches you about the Ramen itself, from its history to its versatility. I love the fact that Kim grew up eating “cheap” meals and learned to cook and love Ramen at a young age, then grew up to study cooking in France and become a certified, trained chef who still circles back to his roots. I also highly appreciated his attitude that if food tastes good to you, don’t listen to anyone else’s snobby opinion about what you’re eating. (Taste is subjective!) I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rolled my eyes over some chef on the Food Network throwing a fit over being forced to cook with “trashy” ingredients that they feel are beneath them.

This book is filled with beautiful, full color photos. Kim includes charts to show you how long various proteins and vegetables take to cook and a diagram for how to properly plate a perfect bowl of Ramen, among other things. You can get as fancy as you want with it, or keep it simple with ingredients you’re likely to already have on hand. (Perfect for me, because one of the biggest reasons I eat Ramen so often is because I don’t cook!)

Kim lists every brand of common Ramen noodle on the market and describes the flavor profile. I found a couple of new ones that I want to seek out!

His detailed Instant Flavor Bank wheel looks intimidating at first, but Kim teaches you how to use it. (For example, there are multiple suggestions from the wheel for how to add notes of Umami or Acid or Richness to your dish using specific ingredients. You can pick and choose and experiment.)

There are quick and easy recipes for how to make meals out of the cup noodles, recipes for fancier ramen dishes, recipes for toppings, etc. They range from in-depth to quick and simple. So basically, there are a few in here that I could definitely pull off. And the ingredient lists don’t get too crazy, either.

I definitely recommend this for anyone who is looking to dress up their instant ramen or try a little something fun! I threw some black beans into my noodles today and it was so filling and good.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for honest review.

I was super excited about this book, if only to find new ways to jazz up instant ramen, and this book did not disappoint. the book has a bunch of recipes and photos of many of them to try. However, what I think is the best part of this book is the flavor wheel and the flavor bank. The flavor bank includes all sorts of toppings, sauces, and options to add to your ramen with descriptions on the flavor profile, ideas on how much to add, and information about the topping itself. It's really full of information that could be helpful even beyond jazzing up your ramen. This recipe book is truly very informative beyond the concept of making your instant ramen more interesting.

This book was ok if you love Ramen noodles! At times I felt like I was reading a school essay on Ramen lol

As someone who tries (and often fails) to spice up my basic instant ramen, I was so intrigued by this cookbook. I love the concept of it being a guidebook, rather than a classic cookbook!

Every step and element is broken down in such an informative manner—it’s so interesting to see something seemingly simple like cooking ramen turned into an elaborate lesson on timing and ingredient prep. The graphics were the perfect balance of eye-catching and informative and really help drive home the information! I’ve learned a lot!

All the stars. It’s informative. It’s beautiful. It’s inspiring.

This book is soooooooo visually pleasing. I see what you did there with the squiggly font—and I am obsessed. The colors, the art, and the photography make every page a feast—not just for your stomach, but for your eyes.

As someone who buys their instant ramen wholesale, I can confidently say I am this book’s target audience. I may even be part ramen. I was thrilled to find a book that sparks so much creativity in using something I already have mountains of at home. Ramen is affordable, has an excellent shelf life, and if we ever find ourselves in a post-apocalyptic world, ramen—and this blessed guide—will get me through it.

The author specifically refers to this as a guide rather than a cookbook, and that distinction makes perfect sense. This isn’t just a collection of recipes with rigid rules. It’s an invitation—to play, to experiment, and to adapt dishes to their own tastes and available ingredients. It’s about inspiring creativity rather than following rules. It encourages intuitive cooking and personalization, which is perfect for a base ingredient as versatile as instant ramen.

It’s also a love letter to the cultural significance of ramen, weaving in stories, tips, and humor that make the book more than just a collection of ideas—it’s an experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Peter J. Kim for the privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect book for any ramen lover. There are in depth explanations and great pictures to explain more about the food and how to transform the instant noodle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing an e-ARC.

This book has everything! From Ramen history to recipes and even talks about different brands!!! If you're like me and love Ramen and you like to mix it up, then this book is for you!!! Easy to read and practical!!!!

I loved the premise of this, but after reading through a fraction of the book, I definitely felt information fatigue. Probably 1/3-1/2 of this book is actually recipes--it begins with a tooooooooooooooooon of information on the different types of packaged ramen there are and then goes into detail about all the different things you can add to the ramen while cooking. There was also a ton of information about how long to cook things and in what order and temperature and etc. etc. etc. which...is great, but I feel like you could just include that information on each individual recipe. It was just a bit of a slog and not exactly what I was hoping for. If I do purchase this cookbook, I know the first half will go unread.

I love how this made me rethink the possibilities of instant ramen! I appreciate that the author mentions how this book should be viewed as a handrail, not too restrictive, but a guide. My favorite section is regarding noodle cook time and texture.

The fonts & colors flow well, and overall this is a visually appealing book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Chronicle Books for the ARC!

What a fun book! I never knew there were so many things you could do with ramen! My kids and I had fun with this!

I loved the way this book gave flavor profiles of the different types of ramen. This book gives you a good base of ideas and I've had a lot of fun making my own adjustments to better suit my taste buds.

If you are a ramen lover, take a look and give these recipes a try! The Tantanmen recipe was my favorite, I had fun making modifications and adding more veggies to mine :)

I picked up this book because my partner looooves ramen, either right from the package or making his own recipe with the noodles and I was excited for some extra inspiration to share.

Kim put in the WORK to make sure the groundwork was laid for full understanding of the different layers and complexities that can make a successful ramen build. The field guide to ramen was really clever and I loved the flavor wheel and flow chart concepts - it really takes the guesswork out of "what should I have for dinner?"

A couple of recipes that stood out were the Mac 'n' Cheese Ramen (basic, I know -- but I'll take mac any way I can get it) and the B.E.C. Ramen. Flagged them to give a try.

The photography and food styling was stunning and a great representation of each dish.

As an avid instant ramen connoisseur I am so excited to have this on hand. I buy ramen in bulk but to be able to improvise and improve my 2-3x a week meal is so exciting to me! The recipes are easy to follow and I cannot wait to dive in!

Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I wanted to read this book. As a fan of ramyun/ramen and growing up to this delicious treat, I figure I'd love to see different ways this could be made. I like that this was very informative because it gives you a breakdown and history about each different kind of ramen. I love that this meal can be very simple, or you can make it as extravagant as you want it to be. It can literally be thrown in as is, or you can add as many toppings as you want or recreate it in a whole different way. It's very versatile, if you ask me. This was fun to read.

As an instant ramen lover (multiple times a week lunch), I was quite pleased with this cookbook. I really appreciated the breakdown of the cooking process, the charts on flavors, and cooking times for various ingredients. I found quite a few recipes that I'm excited to try the next time I have instant ramen for a meal.

Thank you so much for this arc!!!

I am so happy I found this book. I looove ramen but also love more complicated flavors and spiciness in my food. At the same time, I’m an awful cook so I’ve struggled to figure out how to improve upon simple instant ramen. This book made it seem very accessible to people like me. I can’t wait to try out these recipes.

A cookbook on instant ramen? I admit I was dubious. But I have to give it five stars because it is SO comprehensive in every way and is the perfect reference book for instant ramen. Also, when the author gave advice on "plating" the ramen, I knew we were in serious foodie territory. The illustrations, the usability, the readability are all very worthwhile.
When it comes to the recipes themselves, which I thought would be the best part of the book, I was less interested because by that time, I'd already been given the ingredients for figuring it all out by myself. The recipes are just icing on the top, but the meat of the book is elsewhere.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Color me VERY impressed (and hungry).

I received an ARC of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful cookbook that is filled with creative and interesting recipes that will help a person up their Ramen game!

Great recipes and beautiful pictures. Wonderful diagrams. Included breakdowns of ingredients and different aspects of ramen. Everything was really nicely laid out. Can't wait to try the recipes!

Thank you to Chronicle Books for providing access to an eARC via NetGalley!

Wow—what a fantastic cookbook debut! I’ll admit I’ve never actually read a cookbook cover to cover before, but Instant Ramen Kitchen completely changed that. I loved learning about the author’s background and how ramen and cooking have become an integral part of his life, as well as the deep dive into the history and cultural evolution of ramen across the globe.

This book goes far beyond just a collection of recipes. I especially appreciated the author’s emphasis on this being a guide rather than a rigid set of instructions. As someone who typically cooks out of necessity and sticks closely to recipes, I found the advice on improvisation both informative and inspiring. It doesn’t just help with ramen, but with cooking overall.

The book is packed with practical tools, including:
•A Field Guide to Instant Ramen, detailing common types of ramen, their flavors, and noodle types, which pair directly with the recipes
•A Noodle Cook Times guide based on thickness and desired texture
•Handy charts for cooking vegetables and proteins, specifically for those commonly used to upscale instant ramen

And of course, there are over 40 recipes featuring clear, concise instructions as well as suggestions for variations and customizations to the given recipes.

Like many, my ramen journey began in the stereotypical college-student-survival mode (apologies to Peter J. Kim). But even now, I always keep a few packs on hand for those “emergency” meals. With this cookbook, I’m excited to upgrade my instant ramen game, and I definitely plan to try several recipes soon.

Whether for your own kitchen or as a gift for a fellow ramen lover, Instant Ramen Kitchen is a thoughtful, versatile, and fun resource that celebrates both the comfort and creativity one can experience through instant ramen.