The claims made by MiracleNoodle seem a little hard to believe. Tastes great, but no calories, fat, sugar, carbs or gluten? I’m dubious, yet intrigued… Anyone have a review?
They consist of glucomannan, which is used as a natural fiber supplement in a lot of foods. They don’t “taste great”-in fact they don’t taste like anything at all, so you usually add it to soups and sauces, which will of course totally negate the “no calorie” claim in the end.
ETA: They are also known as Shirataki(or shiratake) noodles, if you don’t want to pay for the brand name.
Hmmm… I can deal with the tastelessness. I’d be interested in them as an occasional variation in a low-carb diet. I might be tempted to try them with some vegetables, garlic and olive oil.
I’ve bought shirataki noodles.
The textures is different, more chewy, not soft like pasta - they make an awful replacement for pasta, IMO, and don’t go well with tomato or cheese sauces, though some people like them like that.
I really like them with stir-fry dishes and soups, that sort of thing, so they’d definitely work well w/ garlic and olive oil.
ETA: I don’t know about zero calories though, the brands I’ve had must not be exactly the same thing. They’re extremely low calorie, about 20 calories per serving. These are the ones I’ve used.
Be aware that some varieties have a very strong fishy odor.
Agreed - you need to rinse them a whole lot. Then rinse more. And more.
I’ve tried shirataki noodles and haven’t been able to get past the texture, even after I got how much you’re supposed to rinse them. It’s probably just me, since I’m not a fan of the texture of very soft tofu, which this reminds me of.
Mmmmmm… fishy smell and chewy texture. 
Still might be worth a shot if I can find them locally. Thanks for the info!
I usually do a very heavy rinse followed by a microwave dry. You don’t want to eat too much of it , btw. It’s not just high fiber-it is fiber.
And at 21.99$ (+ shipping) for a 7 oz bag, you can’t afford NOT to buy them.
No kidding… if i try them I’ll look at a local Asian grocery first.
I’ve had them and cannot get past the chewy texture. Some people groove on them, so YMMV. I found them in a health food store in the refrigerator section so if your asian food store does not have them you might find them there.
I tried these and was horrifically disappointed. The smell, good lord, the smell!
The texture to me was absolutely awful. Not to be gross, but it really reminded me of chewing on skin (like if you gnaw off a hangnail). Ugh ugh ugh.
Maybe they should call them Zombie Noodles.
Slight hijack for those eating gluten-free:
I usually get the rice noodles which attempt to replace wheat noodles at Trader Joes. Not great, but they work o.k. in preparations which aren’t supposed to be al dente.
Just bought 1 bag of shockingly expensive rice noodles at Whole Foods because of the claims on the label-- “NOT MUSHY” (3 times). They are indeed a good texture.
I get my Shirataki noodles at either the Chinese grocery or Best Yet Market. I think they’re between $2-4.50 a bag (sorry–haven’t bought them lately, so I’m shaky on the price). The only good use I’ve found for them is as a substitute for rice in soup. I like to rinse them WELL (as mentioned above. You’ll need a colander or strainer to do the job.) Then I use a Chinese cleaver to chop them up into rice-like lengths. Then I get some chicken broth, add cooked chicken (broth and chicken from Chinese restaurant, if feeling lazy). Bring the broth to a strong boil, then quickly whisk in a raw beaten egg to create egg drop soup without the disgusting mucous-y starch. Finally, add your chopped noodles as a rice substitute. YUM! Really!
I’ve had them three different ways, not once did they add anything to the meal.
I’d rather have the Dreamfield’s pasta (had it in spaghetti yesterday and loved it) or julienned zucchini and yellow squash.
I’m a low carber myself. 
I suppose anyone who has done the low carb lifestyle knows about Linda Sue’s recipe site but I’ll pass it on just in case, because I haven’t found a thing there I haven’t loved:
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html
I’ve tried them. They’re kind of expensive around here, about $1.20 for a serving, but I like them. You definitely have to rinse them first, otherwise you get the fishy smell that everyone else mentioned.
After a good rinsing and draining, I toss mine in the microwave and nuke them to further evaporate the water. These things hold A LOT of water. I probably microwave it for two minutes, drain the water at the bottom of the bowl, microwave once more, drain. If you’re willing to do that, they taste just fine. I have them with spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, or some cubes of soft cheese with salt and pepper.
And if you think Shirataki is smelly, you all need to grab yourselves a bag of konnyaku noodles.
I think they’re great for stir-fry. I’ve only used them with Thai dishes (where there’s a bit of fish sauce in the mix), so the fishiness of them is not an issue, but I’ve been quite impressed with them. The texture and flavor is certainly different than flour-based pasta–it’s kinda tofu-like, but not particularly weird, IMO–but they’re perfectly appropriate for Asian types of noodle dishes. As far as stuff like mac & cheese or fettuccine alfredo goes, nah, it won’t work. It works better in dishes where the noodle is the side rather than the star of the show.
I get mine at the local asian grocery, but http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/ is also a good resource. I think they’ll still ship multiple packages for a flat fee, and sometimes they have free shipping specials.
There are some varieties that add some tofu, and claim to have an improved texture. I’ve never tried them.
The Japanese MIL cautioned me to rinse very well, and suggested cutting them into manageable spaghetti-length strands. When properly rinsed, most, if not all of the fish smell goes away. They do taste like whatever you cook them with, and do well cooked in a sauce, rather than eaten with a poured-over sauce.
I’ve found them to be good in stir frys, sukiyaki, pad thai, and peanut noodles, but they were just a little “weird” as a spaghetti substitute. Cook them down a little (dry them out) for a better texture.
Thanks, Rushgeekgirl, I had not known about that site. I’ll check it out. I don’t mind Dreamfield’s either, taste/texture-wise, but I have some doubts about their true carb content.