"I LOVE RAMEN," by Toni Patrick, Gibbs Smith, $16.99, 128 pages
First of all, for all the internationally inclined foodies, no, this is not a book for authentic Japanese rāmen recipes. Rather, “I Love Ramen” focuses on the humble instant variety of the popular noodle dish, taking the inexpensive but tasty dried bricks that are a staple of so many college students’ diets and showing how they can be the basis for full-fledged meals, whether in soups, salads, entrees or even desserts.
Colorado author Toni Patrick has to be one of the foremost authorities on the subject, having previously written the cookbooks “101 Things to Do With Ramen” and “200 Ramen Noodle Dishes.” This book collects 75 recipes that range from the straightforward, like slow chicken soup and pan-fried noodles, to the not-so-straightforward, like ramen rolled steak and thin mint cookies on a stick — made with ramen, of course.
And, naturally, all the recipes are based on Patrick’s own dorm-room experiments from when she was in college.
Beyond just instant-ramen enthusiasts — the kind of person who, say, enjoys munching on the dry noodles as a snack — this book is great for families, especially the type that always seems to have an endless supply of ramen packages in the pantry. The recipes are never too fancy and, with only a few exceptions, use mostly ingredients that the average family would have on hand anyway, making it a perfect go-to resource for those nights when one needs inspiration to throw something together without a trip to the grocery store.
Compared with some cookbooks, “I Love Ramen” is kind of bare-bones — just an introduction, a few tips and the recipes themselves — but it’s presented in a clean, appealing way with lots of full-color photos. All in all, it’s a great guide to sprucing up instant noodles and turning them into quick, cost-effective meals.
Jeff Peterson is a native of Utah Valley and studied humanities and history at Brigham Young University. Along with the Deseret News, he also contributes to the film discussion website FilmInquiry.com.