When you don’t have time to cook, let alone sleep, instant noodles are your best friend.

I tried multiple different types of instant noodles so you don’t have to.

Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen

Where it was bought: Swanson Health Products

Prep time: About 10 minutes

Price: About $2

Noodles: Starchy. Even after following the directions, they seemed to leave a filmy feeling on my tongue. Despite their starchiness, the noodles somehow disintegrated the moment they entered my mouth.

Broth: The packaging reads “Insanely Rich Broth,” and I am calling bulls—. It was salty water that somehow developed froth on top. How does that even happen?

Buy it again? Absolutely not

General consensus: Not worth it. Save your money, save your taste buds and save yourself.

Nissan Hot and Spicy (with Shrimp)

Where it was bought: The Dollar Store

Prep time: 4 minutes

Price: $1

Noodles: They are squishy, which is exactly how you would imagine soup noodles to be. They don’t have much flavor.

Broth: Very salty. The shrimp is more fragrant than flavorful. It’s supposed to be spicy, but I do not think that it’s doing a very good job. The shrimp in the dish was really chewy once it was cooked.

Buy it again? Probably not. It would be a very specific craving that I don’t think I’ll have again anytime soon.

General consensus: If you really love fishy food, this would probably be a good choice for you. But if you were looking for something actually spicy, I’d go a different route.

Cup Noodles, Chicken

Where it was bought: The Dollar Store

Prep time: 3 minutes

Price: $1 for three cups

Noodles: Exactly what you want in a ramen.

Broth: Actually tastes like chicken broth. Salty and full of sodium, I’m sure, but very tasty. It also contained chives and vegetables, which provided more and welcome flavor to the ramen as a whole.

Buy it again? Yeah, probably. Still a bit on the salty side and not very filling, but for about 33 cents I’d do it.

General consensus: It’s a quality ramen with a quality price. It’s a good product, but my only problem is that it comes in a Styrofoam cup and that’s not good for the environment.

Maruchan, Chicken

Where it was bought: The Dollar Store

Price: $1 for three cups

Prep time: 3-5 minutes

Noodles: Chewy enough to make you chew, but not stiff enough to make you choke on its way down.

Broth: Salty. Tastes kind of like chicken?

Buy it again? Yeah, I guess. It’s not my favorite. It tastes kind of like Campbell’s canned chicken noodle soup?

General consensus: It’s pretty good. It’s doing its job. It’s hitting the spot, and maybe it’s just what a college student needs. Also, there are veggies in this so it puts it ahead of most of those listed above.

Nongshim, Kimchi Noodle Soup

Where it was bought: Chinatown, Boston

Price: $1.39

Prep time: 3-5 minutes

Noodles: Chewy. They bounce back a little bit, but in a really good way.

Broth: A touch on the spicy side, but for those of you with delicate Midwestern palates, you may want to shy away from this one. It’s salty, but it’s enjoyable. It’s too salty for me, but not too salty for everyone.

Buy it again? No. Too salty for me.

General consensus: It’s good, but I think I have to drink a gallon of water after that.

Acecook, Hao Hao, Mi Chay, Vegetarian flavor

Where it was bought: The Asian Market down on Main Avenue in Fargo

Price: 49-79 cents

Prep time: 3-5 minutes

Noodles: Perfect. Thin but still something to chew on.

Broth: So good. Not too salty. Flavorful, but without tasting like meat.

Buy it again? Absolutely. No question.

General consensus: This one is my favorite so far. It’s fantastic. Super tasty without being too salty.

Lucky Me! Chicken Mami

Where it was bought: The Asian Market down on Main Avenue in Fargo

Price: 49-79 cents

Prep time: 3-5 minutes

Noodles: Hard. Followed the directions, and the noodles are chewy at best.

Broth: The broth is tasty. It’s on the salty side, and a bit bland, but it’s satisfying.

Buy it again? No, I would not.

General consensus: It’s extremely mediocre.

Nissin Chow Mein, Teriyaki Chicken

Where it was bought: Walmart

Price: 88 cents

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Noodles: Tender and flat. Lovely.

Broth: Not applicable. The sauce was a tasty, sweet sort of soy sauce.

Buy it again? Absolutely. There are veggies in it, which encourages the purchase.

General consensus: It’s time to get your noodle on.

Nissin, Black Garlic oil tonkotsu, artificial pork flavor

Where it was bought: Chinatown, Boston

Price: $1.69

Prep time: 3-5 minutes

Noodles: I can’t feel or taste them through the salt.

Broth: Way too salty.

Buy it again? No, please no. I cannot swell beyond this point

General consensus: Don’t do it if you value your health.