We try out a 100-yen store bowl designed for microwaving frozen udon noodles

This bowl went viral on Twitter…but for what?? We had to find out. 

Hundred yen shops are veritable treasure troves. In their bountiful aisles you can find clothes, toys, craft items, and just about any household product that you could ever possibly need for just 100 yen (or about US$1). Need an egg timer? Some speakers? What about anime figure backgrounds? Yep, they’ve got it.

They even have things you never would have thought you needed, like a bowl for microwaving frozen udon noodles. It’s a niche product if there ever was one…the kind of product you look at and think, “Who really needs that?” Yet for some reason, it went completely viral on Twitter, despite being a product that has been on the shelves at Daiso for years.

Our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori is a regular consumer of frozen udon noodles, but even he scoffed at this product. “I mean,” he says. “I can just put the noodles, package and all, in the microwave for three minutes…

“And they’ll be nicely cooked…

“And perfectly delicious.”

Go was completely perplexed as to why this product went viral on social media. He couldn’t understand why it would matter when you don’t need any special tools to make delicious udon. Is it a scam? Or is it actually really good? Won’t it just be something that takes up space? Isn’t it kind of weird that it’s being pushed so much on social media?

Go couldn’t help himself. He forked over his 100 yen (plus tax) and gave in to the temptation to try it.

The bowl comes with special instructions. First you have to put two tablespoons of water into the bottom of the bowl.

Then you put the frozen noodles directly in the bowl…

…And place the draining basket on top.

Cook the noodles for 30 seconds longer than usual.

Once it’s done, you pour the noodles into the draining basket to drain the water…

Return them to the bowl, and eat.

…….!!

▼ What?! Amazing!!

The result was totally different!

So different, in fact, that Go almost felt he had to apologize to the almighty Daiso frozen udon microwave bowl. Did the draining basket act like an otoshi-buta, a lid for simmering that helps evenly distribute the heat? Go couldn’t be sure. But what he did know was that the noodles were both evenly cooked and warmed…

…And they had a completely different texture!

They had a much better “udon-like” texture compared to those that weren’t cooked in the Daiso bowl. They were far chewier, fluffier, and stretchier, making for a truly delicious batch of udon. “What the heck is this thing?!” Go thought.

Since they were so good, Go decided to add his favorite toppings to his nicely cooked udon noodles.

The result was insanely good! 100 times better than usual!!

So, much to Go’s surprise, Daiso’s “Microwave Cooker for Frozen Udon” somehow makes frozen udon exceedingly tasty, and is well worth the space it takes up in your kitchen cupboards! Though honestly, he should have known, seeing as he’s also a pretty big fan of Daiso’s Freezer Bowl for Rice.

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