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I Tradizionali Takes Culinary Tattoos To A Whole New Extreme

July 1, 2014 0

People who love food are very happy to prove their passion with ink. Mixers, artichokes and even cupcakes permanently make their way onto bodies. But an entire recipe? That requires a lot of real estate and not too many people are willing to commit to …

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Ramen Noodles Mixed With Pudding Is A ‘Hot’ New Trend, Apparently. It’s Terrible.

July 1, 2014 0

The world has gone a bit overboard with ramen. The trendy Japanese noodle has made its way into burgers, pizza and corn dogs. None of this makes much sense (noodles to complement an already carb-laden Italian dish? Why?)

Ramen has even noodled its way into Mexican cuisine (cue the Ramenrrito).

But none of these compare to the catastrophe that is ramen pudding. It’s a new trend that’s allegedly taken Taiwan by soupy storm. The dish calls for instant ramen and a store-bought Japanese pudding that’s closer to flan than the Snack Pack that stole the show in your childhood brown bag.

ramen pudding
Photo: Youtube/Cai Aga

“What kind of pudding complements chicken bouillon?” is a question no one should have to ask. But we asked exactly that, and found that the answer (spoiler!) is a resounding “none.”

Requesting a few brave taste-testers proved to be a stimulating task of its own. “I mean, I’ll do it, but it does NOT sound good,” said one honest reviewer.

To prepare the fare, we started with the average styrofoam container of Cup Noodles that can be purchased virtually anywhere.
cup noodle
(Note: While we purchased “Chicken,” “Beef,” “Shrimp,” and “Chicken Vegetable” flavors, only the first two were used in this taste test. Participants agreed there was no need to defile the remaining two soups.)

While the container instructs to pour boiling water to the cup’s inside line, we left a bit more room to accommodate the additional volume of the pudding.

Next came the flan-esque pudding.

mmmjappuddin
This gelatanous stuff was transferred straight from its plastic cup into the Cup Noodles, once the noodles were fully softened by the boiling water (about three minutes).

dropramenpu

Then we attempted to mix.
ramennnn

In a hopeful, unrealistic expectation, we crossed our fingers that the pudding would meld with the soup’s bouillon broth and transform the dish into a cream-based broth delicacy. That is not what happened. Instead, the pudding broke into what one tester deemed “globs” of unenjoyable sweetness that tainted the noodle soup.

The appearance of the soup made testers want to retreat.

“I’m so terrified.”

“Who invented this? Why would you do that?”

“It looks like unmelted butter.”

And, at last, when tasters put plastic spoon to mouth, the results were unsavory.

“I don’t like it.”

“It’s more the consistency than the taste that is bad.”

“The pudding does not belong in the ramen.”

“Everything tastes just like normal ramen until you have a clump of that.

“Can I be done?”

“I’m gonna set this down.”

“This would be acceptable prison food. And efficient.”

One hopeful tester thought the pudding might add a tofu-like consistency to the soup. But the dream was made in vain. “It wasn’t as firm as I was telling myself it was going to be in my head,” she reported. In truth, eaters just wanted their noodles back. And would happily go to bed without dessert.

“It’s not terrible, but I would choose not to put the pudding in the soup.”

“I keep digging around to find NOT-pudding.”

For now, let’s agree to leave one of our planet’s most glorious convenience foods untouched. Dried noodles, salty, evaporated broth and a carefully poured cup of boiling water. That’s it. If your soup has you craving a post-dinner flan, why not enjoy it as a post-meal nightcap?

Find a much more action-packed and seemingly positive ramen pudding experience below:

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22 Ways To Cook Through Your CSA Greens

July 1, 2014 0

CSAs are great, in theory. It’s community supported agriculture after all. Signing up for a weekly box of just-picked produce from the local farm sounds like the best way to cook seasonal throughout the months of summer, eat healthy, and feel good abou…

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You Are Going To Want This Face Tracking Marshmallow Cannon (VIDEO)

June 30, 2014 0

Behold the sweetest invention we’ve seen in a long, long time.

This video from madscienti11 showcases the Confectionary Cannon, a marshmallow cannon constructed by four engineering students from Olin College in Needham, Mass. as part of their Principl…

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Top 7 Most Addictive Unhealthy Foods

June 30, 2014 0

By Caroline Young

Unhealthy Foods

Whether it’s on a giant billboard, in a cheesy commercial, or filling a glossy page of a magazine, unhealthy temptation surrounds us every day.

Typically, frequently-advertised foods are the very ones we crave: foods high in ingredients like sugar, fat, and salt. Specifically, fast food restaurants’ advertisements and menus send environmental cues, which can trigger addictive overeating. Highly-processed fast food can become a craving, which is seen in statistics of obesity.

But just what makes certain ingredients so addicting? Why does it feel like we need more and more of them, the more we eat them?

1) Processed Baked Goods

Unhealthy Foods

Eating just one Oreo seems like it is just not an option. But why? Studies show an ingredient in many baked goods, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, can actually cause reactions similar to those made by drug abuse. When a sweet craving hits, opt for a more nutrient-dense snack like berries or another fruit with some cinnamon on top of oatmeal. And you may want to think twice about adding artificial sweeteners to your cup of coffee, because chances are, it may lead to greater sugar cravings later.

2) Soda With Caffeine

Soda With Caffeine.jpg

Soda’s combination of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, with caffeine, is the perfect addictive recipe. The caffeine goes directly into your bloodstream and blocks adenosine receptors, stimulating the adrenal gland to produce the flight or fight chemical adrenaline, which gives people a feeling of energy. In so many words, the body is being forced into an unnatural state that often leaves it exhausted later. And it’s easy to forget when you’re drinking a coke that you’re drinking tons of calories and sugar too. Only one can of Coke has 11 teaspoons of sugar. Acidic soda can also eat up and erode teeth enamel. If gaining weight and decaying teeth isn’t enough reason to avoid soda, the over consumption of soda can cause psychological effects. Studies show drinking too much of a caffeinated soft drink has actually caused or amplified a patient’s mental disorder symptoms.

3) White Bread

white bread

Do you wonder why it’s hard to steer clear of the breadbasket when you’re out at dinner? When it comes down to it, any processed and high-glycemic carbohydrates, like white breads, are hard to stop eating and make us crave more. One study shows people who consume more nutrient dense, low-glycemic carbs are less likely to overeat. Examples of lower-glycemic foods are most fruit, beans, and whole grains, which release glucose more slowly into the bloodstream, and helps to balance blood sugar and fat storage.

4) Potato Chips

Potato Chips

Potato chips are high in salt and fat. When we bite into a greasy, fatty potato chip, our nerve endings send signals, which travel up to the pleasure center — the hypothalamus — of our brains. We eventually overload the pleasure center, and crash. Then, we want more, more, more. Even the “healthier” chips, like baked veggie chips, are usually high in fat. Instead, snacking on foods like baked kale “chips” is a better option when you have a hankering for a salty and crunchy snack.

5) Highly-Processed Meat

Cold cuts like ham and bologna, hot dogs, bacon, and sausage are all — yet again — jam-packed with salt and also various chemicals like sodium nitrates. Many of them also contain tons of preservatives and lots of fat. Specifically, hot dogs and sausage can contain up to 23 grams of fat. Consider fresh meats, like skinless poultry and roast beef instead.

6) French Fries

We all know it’s hard to just eat a couple of French fries, especially when we need that salty fix. That salt in those fried potato sticks is precisely what keeps us hooked, and always wanting more. One study reveals that sodium intake creates sensitivity to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s pleasure centers. There is actually a connection between salt and addiction-related pathways in the brain. In fact, the same gene group that regulates your appetite for salt also regulates cocaine and heroin addictions.

7) Ice Cream

Also full of fat, calories, sugar, and often the addictive high-fructose corn syrup, ice cream can be difficult to portion. Realistically, we’re not going to eat a half-cup of ice cream, which is the typical serving size for grocery store ice cream brands, like Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs. For example, a half-cup of Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle has 18 grams of fat, 310 calories, and 28 grams of sugar. Most people will eat at least one cup of ice cream at a time, doubling all of those numbers. Instead, go for Greek yogurt and fruit, or frozen grapes, or frozen bananas. And if you must have the ice cream, consider the lower-fat and lower-calorie ice cream at the store.

The foods on this list are calorie-dense, lack nutritional value, and can be addictive. While most of us indulge in these foods every once in a while, if you find yourself constantly craving these addictive foods, consider writing down the situations when you start craving them. Where are you? What do you see? Do you smell something? What time is it? Becoming more aware of why you get cravings can help you make very positive changes to your eating habits

What do you think is the most addictive unhealthy food?

More From BuiltLean:

Are Hunger Hormones Making You Hungry?
7 Simple Tips To Control Hunger
8-Week Workout Program For Burning Fat

For more articles and videos, visit BuiltLean, or join the conversation at our Facebook page.

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This Coffee Shop Has No Employees Because It Runs Entirely On The Honor System

June 30, 2014 0

If you’re in Valley City, North Dakota, looking for coffee or Wi-Fi and you happen upon The Vault, you will immediately notice something unusual: There are no employees at the shop.

That is because The Vault is a self-serve cafe, run entirely on the h…