Because instant ramen has to cook swiftly when the hot water is poured over it, the noodles are designed with plenty of space within each strand. "The internal structure of the instant noodle is porous," Sasaki says, so that water can rush in and saturate it quickly. From the perspective of Ajinomoto and its goal of delivering a better ramen, the best way to get a fresh-tasting noodle to the customer was to cook it, then freeze it. That required a technically different approach from instant noodles. Porous noodles don"t age well, as anyone who"s forgotten a cup of noodles in the microwave can relate. The resulting mess is swollen and soggy.