Thai Chef Tries Instant Pad Thai!

I've always assumed grocery store pad thai was bad...but maybe I'm wrong? In this video I taste various forms of pad thai from Costco and another local grocery chain. I try frozen pad thai, pad thai kit, microwave pad thai, instant pad thai...and see if any of them are worth buying!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com

[@ropro9817]

Pai, the full spectrum of your facial expressions in this video were priceless and hilarious! 😆 Loved it. Please do a series where you review other forms of instant 'Thai' foods from the grocery store. (so we don't have to!) 🙇

[@hambonelee]

Agreeeeeeeed!

[@sakanpyseth6180]

Yes, I want P' Pai to try instant som tum (papaya salad) next! :)

[@NomenNescio99]

"they tasted less offensive" 😂😂😂😂

[@axelcarlisle]

As a fellow Southeast Asian (Filipino) who loves and cooks Thai cuisine, I felt your pain in every single one of those.

[@iAmNothingness]

Yeah i wish they would make it better… not everyone has the time to cook fresh meals and learn to cook many different foods.

[@josephohanlon205]

Pailin, thank you for being our 'official" taster for this authentic Thai dish. You didn't give us the $$ price range of these. anyway, we'll just anticipate your next'grading' of another nat'l dish.😊

[@fernwehtwl]

hahah i feel too. Living in Spain now its so hard to find authetnic asian sauces and coconut milk too! i tried the coconut milk in spanish grocery stores and it taste nothing like coconut milk . in fact its rubbery and gross.

[@chadc362003]

I have so thankful to have seen you on a Canadian cooking show, then to find your channel. You may feel like you are swimming upstream compared to magazines and the Jamie Oliver’s of the world, but after making your recipes, I would never go back to non or pseudo Thai recipes again. Hands down, your recipes are infinitely better. Keep doing a great job introducing great and authentic food. Cheers!!👏

[@Bestname_Ever]

whats the cooking shows name?

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thank you so much!!

[@PailinsKitchen]

One World Kitchen

[@evelynnnyt]

@@PailinsKitchenI agree with Chad, you’re the channel I go to because it’s the real deal!

[@chadc362003]

@@PailinsKitchen that’s right, I knew it was a collection of chefs from different backgrounds but couldn’t remember the name. Awesome stuff

[@happy_camper]

“Oh no all my vegetables!” 😂😂😂 Omg, this is so good.

[@z3nith06]

Love your review/opinion. Best phrase "... So un-Thai, there are no Thai words for it!" 😂 Love your posts and recipes!

[@jorntumrongwit9056]

Best part is, that statement is actually factual Carrot in Thai is just literally called carrot (แครอต) and button mushrooms are called through its french name (I think, idk) Broccoli is just บรอคโคลี่ (same with carrots, no Thai name)

[@JamanMosil]

Only 3 minutes in and your food-rage and sarcasm are already off the charts and I love it. =D Can't wait to watch the rest now...

[@TiannNChong]

Pai had her "angry Thai Auntie" mode activated LOL

[@threetreesfarm]

Loved this! I'm American and find store-bought pad thai WAAAY too sweet! Your reactions to these were too funny!

[@YummYakitori]

As a Southeast Asian myself whose country is actually pretty close to Thailand, and having had Thai food both in Thailand and in other Western countries eg Australia, I'd say that the Thai food overseas is almost always much sweeter than the real thing.. for some reason. Also in some cases they use coconut cream instead of coconut milk which makes the curries gloopier, and makes dishes fattier, heavier and more surfeiting.

[@thiti4747]

@@YummYakitori Thai use coconut cream too but need to put more curry paste to balance the taste.

[@61hink]

Two most important things I learned from this channel : 1. Most Thai people don't make their own curry paste using a mortar and pestle! I now make really awesome curry because I buy a great quality product at the Asian market and the rest is pretty easy. 2: I finally know how to properly treat rice noodles. I love them but have had terrible luck trying to cook them according to package directions or by winging it. Now my noodles are perfect, not a starchy mess. I haven't watched the video yet. Some frozen foreign dishes can be pretty good, like Indian, but I haven't had good luck with Thai. Noodles are never good in a frozen dinner but rice usually does OK.

[@margretlcrabb8090]

That instant look of disappointment and regret 😂😂😂😂

[@culinarycaravan]

Talk about taking one for the team. Pai, you are patience personified!

[@Peter-cm8vi]

Thanks Pai. Very entertaining. I am glad that we make our own Thai food at home from scratch and don't have to suffer these "packaged" imitations.

[@rosedeveyra2228]

Pailin, unlike the variety of instant “pad Thai” you reviewed, your videos are never disappointing. Definitely one that is going to be a Hot Thai Kitchen classic!

[@ahill209]

Loved this episode. "Cilantro - NO!" It's funny about how some of the brands added non-authentic ingredients. Reminds me of some episodes of America's Test Kitchen when they are preparing some foreign food, but they modify some of the key ingredients to make it very non-authentic. I'm fortunate to live in a city with several good Thai restaurants and a couple of decent Asian markets that sell authentic ingredients for Thai food.

[@windbreaker57]

Am not having pad thai from a box, Thai or Welsh or Chinese. But only because i learned how to make it myself, ehem, from, ehem, you know who. So,... Anyway, it was fun watching your facial expressions 😅 Good stuff here, Pai.

[@jaredf6205]

From Voldemort?

[@hinas_for_life]

This was really fun to watch!!!! Thank you as always, love from Japan!

[@lesleygoodman6986]

I greatly appreciate your high standards and devotion to authenticity and quality. You are always my 'go to' when it comes to all things Thai cuisine. In fact, I made your coconut water fruit cubes and your mango/coconut fruit cake this weekend for my daughter and granddaughter, who are both vegan. They were gone in 24 hours and received rave reviews!

[@zetnnik]

What a cute/fun video…. Your facial expressions as you took a bite of each sample…. 😂 I have made your 5 minute pad Thai sauce, and I can attest to how convenient and delicious it was! Love your channel. More power to you! 😊❤

[@meeleetee8530]

Nice job Pai; I knew it that nothing beats the homemade preps. Thanks for trying it for us.

[@Jiuhuashan]

Thank you Auntie Pai! So glad you include a link to your Pad Thai recipe (although I have two of your cookbooks).

[@PrideWeWin]

You’re not mad Aunty at all. All you said is valid. Do more vids like this pls. We need your taste bud to authenticate the originality of Thai foods!

[@thesushifiend]

Uncle Roger would approve of you dissing Jamie Oliver. So would I!

[@777residentevil]

I love love love this series! Please make more of these.

[@danshankle]

As ALWAYS, a great Video! LOVE everything you have done to date! Awesome work!

[@thecostumelady123]

3:32 😂😂😂😂 Thanks for taking one for the team AND saving us so much money! This was awesome, more reviews please. 😁

[@zakuradragon]

I love this review series! Looking forward to the next episode!!! ❤

[@LFUFMNX]

I just watched the very first video on your channel, 13 years ago! You've come a long way. Congratulations on your success. Whenever I eat a dish at a Thai restaurant that I really like I come to your channel to see if you made it and to get an idea what ingredients are in it, etc.

[@victoriatrinh8380]

This video was so much fun to watch you review! I laughed so hard when you reviewed the Chinese box one- where the noodles shot straight in the box! 🤣 Your expression was so funny and I couldn't believe the process for that one to cook either!!

[@ardemisaguirre8088]

There’s no better than home cooking and specially your pad Thai recipes 🥰🥰🥰

[@georgebartholemew8444]

This was one of my favorite videos of this week. You are great!

[@Sanosarah]

I am so obsessed with you. Your integrity and warmth and love for food is so engaging.

[@huyenThiVn5746]

Love this video. Thank you so much for taking 1 for the team. I always try to make mine authentic except vegan version.. ❤❤❤

[@joetunsein12]

I have been following you for over 6 to 7 years. I just enjoy your style of presentation. You are marvellous.

[@runbag]

I really love this, and it's so true. You can buy/eat "thai" food in so many ways. You can find a recipe and follow every step, even buy it at a local "thai" restaurant. But it ends up almost every time in something that doesn't compare with how it actually tastes when you sit down to eat in Thailand. My favourite is Pad med mamuang, and now after some years watching your videos and get help from my thai friends, I've actually came close the real thing. :)

[@robwelch1]

Thank-you for making this video. Love your content and your sharing cooking skills.💕

[@onumakane8224]

This vdo got me laughing. My family enjoyed both of your books and vdo. Even though, we have your weeks, we typically follow your vdo. Thank you for staying true to Thai cuisine and making it simple. We especially love how you explained the reason for the methods

[@dented42]

I’ve always liked the ‘A Taste of Thai’ products. I can’t speak for their authenticity but their peanut noodles stopped me from starving to death in college many a time.

[@jessirarara]

1) I LOVE you going over the instant stuff 2) I'm so glad you showed up on my feed. I've been trying to branch out into more Korean and Thai cooking. So I'm happy to find someone who makes authentic food to learn from!

[@martinjrgensen8234]

This was an absolute treat. Funny and very entertaining. I just started cooking your recipes, and OMG my mouth is exploding with flavors. I am running out of space to store all those ingredients though. ❤❤

[@digitalbilly]

I love this channel!!!! i lived in Thailand 4 years and I miss the food. I'm back in Canada and its sometimes hard to find the right ingredients

[@paulwrightwa]

Loved your facial expressions! Thanks for taking one for the team 😂

[@Bitey_Cat]

Oh my, thank you so much for this! After suffering through the cloying sweetness of Amy’s “pad Thai,” I vowed that I would never again resort to a quick and easy version of this dish. Your excellent reviews of the other options have firmed my resolve, so thank you for that; I will stick to using your recipes instead! 😍♥️

[@hcblue]

This was fun! I love your delivery and the actual reviews. The idea of a Thai-inspired Welsh-Swedish-fusion "Pad Thai" will live with me (and give me nightmares) forever. Thanks, mad auntie

[@neilmartin8143]

Thanks for a very entertaining video. Perhaps not unexpected. Having said that many supposed “Thai” Restaurants also produce disappointing Pad Thai. I always use your recipe and all the family loves it. Cheers

[@josephohanlon205]

Pailin, As usual your thorough presentation inspired me to seek for your recommended Thai Pad Thai. Thank you!

[@agaymerstale6191]

This was my first time coming across your videos and you've definitely earned a new regular viewer 😄

[@eustacelufgren]

I literally came to this video directly from a nigelng / Uncle Roger video where he was doing his usual (hilarious) Jamie Oliver material, and that first mild comment about Jamie Oliver cracked me up!

[@eustacelufgren]

Another review of one of the worst Pad Thais ever: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3jcaKSXZ7uYm80

[@eustacelufgren]

Haha, just noticed he cited your channel on how to do rice noodles! Even Uncle Roger knows who the authorities on Pad Thai are!

[@PailinsKitchen]

Hahhaa, he sure does!

[@michaelr9627]

So happy to have stumbled upon your channel! I enjoyed watching this and look forward to checking out your other content. This has me really craving some authentic Thai cuisine. While I enjoy eating Pad Thai and will probably start there you have inspired me to learn more and begin trying to prepare some of these amazing meals myself. I really hope to be able to create some of the authentic flavors that Thai food is centered around! On a side note relating to the products featured in your video I am conflicted on the existence of these products and those targeting other cultures as well. On one hand their continued existence and wide variety indicates that many are willing to branch out and experience new foods and they have potential to spread a general knowledge of them while making it more accessible. However as you have clearly demonstrated these products seem to do little in regards to actually make an affordable and ready to eat version of the food they are 'representing'. Had they just left it as Thai inspired it might be better than going out and misrepresenting it Pad Thai when you have substituted half the important ingredients. I appreciate you sharing your insight as a mad Auntie! :)

[@subductionzone]

I have been having an urge for pad Thai recently and I wanted to make my own. I found your recipe on the internet and made that. For a first timer it turned out pretty good. I found most of the ingredients at a local Asian market. And followed the directions fairly closely. My one mistake was to think that the noodles were going to need some more water, which you said might happen. I added just a splash and realized that I should have just cooked my noodles for a little longer until they were dryer. The second time I did not add the extra water and was much closer to the desired product. I will be repeating it, hopefully with dried shrimp and pickled daikon. Than you so much.

[@ericfoster3636]

I saw everything I needed to know in the looks on your face when you tasted them! 🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelvaewhongs2579]

Thanks for taking one for the authentic Thai food team. The 2nd one from Costco my local Costco has too. One of my family was tempted to buy it until I said no way. Love the in-video text comments (e.g. three out of ten...thousand) 🤣

[@marielaberge8236]

so much shade and sass, I love it

[@anasevi9456]

This is going to be an entertaining watch. 😅 Thanks, love seeing this kind of dress down bad products videos. I remember going to this one fusion takeaway years ago that had a very lovely noodle dish, that while delicious; was absolutely NOT pad thai beyond the peanuts. It's as if they couldnt think of a better name.

[@GamingFoodie]

This was a great review! I'm curious to see a review of people's online recipes and see how good those are in your opinion.

[@threethreeoh]

SO glad you did this! Much like you, I've written off any and all instant pad thai from the stores. When you've had really good authentic pad Thai, it's hard to expect the same quality and flavor from anything else. You've just proven our "Asian auntie assumptions". LOL!

[@miraeja]

this was such a fun video. thanks for keeping asian authentic. also i love your apron 👀

[@healer81]

Thanks for the video, im in the mood for some proper Pad Thai. Love your content

[@iluckicharm]

Love this! Please do more thai package food comparison. Perhaps do sauces "in a bottle" next.

[@MarsM13]

I'll always be grateful for your yum woon sen recipe. It's been my favorite food ever since I made it after seeing your video. Mind you, I changed it a little to Cajun it up.

[@susieangelo6410]

Hi Pailin, much thanks for the reviews. Loved your slippery lime slips! 🤣💜

[@doogie64]

As a father to a Korean and Chinese daughter who really try to cook authentic, as much as possible, I loved your sense of humor.

[@googlemonster3011]

First time watching your show. You are fantastic! Will be following your show from now onwards. Thanks.

[@DamonKClark]

I absolutely LOVE your content!

[@brandon3872]

I really enjoyed this! Please do a similar review of Thai or Thai "inspired" curry products.

[@krus54]

Great Video, Pai. I had wondered about these products so I REALLY appreciate when you do these types of presentations! I've never bought them and even just as "food" and not comparing them to real Pad Thai, it was disappointing! That item from Costco must be regional. I don't remember seeing it at my local Costco, but it could also be that I generally pass by fast foods in a box that claim to be an ethnic dish. One thing I would have also liked to have seen is the ingredient list on those items to see how many different chemicals they used (IF they did!). It's one of the reasons I buy as little processed, pre-prepared food as possible.

[@georgebartholemew8444]

It seemed so much like you were trying to give them the benefit of the doubt when they didn't deserve it. Your recipes are so much better. I SO like your videos!

[@Pustul]

Great video! The best one I tried is blue elephant but it’s the same “kit” concept as the Thai kitchen one so basically just pad Thai sauce with noodles you have to cook and a pack of crushed peanuts.

[@karendegraaf3572]

Love this and would LOVE to see it as a series! At least until all the pseudo-thai packages are reviewed, though I'm gradually developing my own palate based on your (and Marion's😉) recipes. I live in Africa but fortunately there are enough Asians in the area who are serious about their food so imported sauces(especially fish), seasonings, even curry pastes are a thing! What I can't often find is tamarind, but I get that hand-carried from whomever can find it for me! I have garlic chives and scallions in my courtyard, and fresh roasted peanuts a block away...I've even found tofu at an anonymous Asian grocery market....All is good!

[@MalReaver]

I wish there was a laugh emoticon as well as the thumbs up. You are so entertaining and informative I love your videos! Thank you so much!

[@cathyvarner3815]

Love your videos, I have been watching you for several years... Learned my love for Thai food from working with several Pilipino nurses in the dialysis unit that I worked in for over 25 years. My question is about noodles that would be appropriate on a Keto-Carnivore way of eating? Thanks so much for the authentic Thai recipies.

[@HKVC]

looool the commentary for the first product was the best

[@pixelcultmedia4252]

Spot on review. There's a "pad thai-ish" version of Pad Thai in the midwest, and I feel like these products emulate that flavor. It's always too sweet and often lacking any umami from fish sauce and shrimp paste. I miss eating thai food back in Los Angeles. :(

[@EastWestKarateGR]

I very recently discovered you and love, ,love love your recipes and videos. Made your sweet chili sauce and it is amazing. I’ll never touch a bottled sweet chili sauce again. I also made your Sriracha Sauce and same scenario applies. Never going back to store bought again. Can’t wait to get into your other recipes

[@leewinkler1742]

Thanks. That was very entertaining and certainly provided a lot of laughs!

[@richardt1792]

That is exceptionally noble of you to put your health at risk for your viewer. Much respect. I tried one of those instant pad thai dishes; it was dreadful. I tried your recipe and it was outstanding.

[@khalor5143]

Pai, thank you for making this video review! I was thinking that it would be nice to see some reviews on Pai Thai instant mead before buying and wasting money so this definitely helps!! Please do more reviews on Thai instant dishes in the future!

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

Thanks to Pai: I am now growing my own makrut lime leaves, shallots, garlic chives, and lemon grass. I still haven't made Pai's pad thai recipe but I just found some dried shrimp so I'm almost there. The sweet preserved radish may be too tough to find, but that's OK.

[@PailinsKitchen]

It'll be fine without the radish!

[@mortiftw6378]

The pun with the chopsticks for the one with the takeout box - I like it!

[@VicBattlefield]

Hi, Khun Pai! Great timing on your part ´cause I planned on making Pad Thai for dinner tonight. Of course an original according to a Hot Thai Kitchen recipe! I already bought shrimps, bean sprouts and tofu for this one. However, I hope you don´t mind me adding some broccolli as an experiment, but no cilantro will find its way in there, I promise😉. I really enjoyed watching your presentation today! You are a natural talent. There really should be an Oscar for this category of showmanship. Thank you for being so entertaining!!🙏

[@PailinsKitchen]

Thank you! I will pretend I never heard anything about broccoli in your pad thai. 😂

[@TiannNChong]

I add broccoli to almost all my fried noodles because the crunch goes well with the texture of the noodles. lol.

[@mon6745]

The way I cackled when I saw the thumbnail 😂😂😂😂 such a good idea! It's a good thing that I'm going to be making Pai's authentic pad thai tonight for dinner 🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@violetpetal4122]

This is like watching a comedy, so funny how you presented the whole thing 🤣

[@spacepope69]

Your faces with those first three boxes were priceless. I like mushy noodles so that brand wouldn't be a problem for me.

[@phoenixr6811]

I thank you for your Thai recipes, I have made a few of them😊

[@MLLL1234]

Love this! This should be a series!!

[@mikeyd946]

Omg 😂 Your expressions 😅 I am an Italian Canadian and I love this channel. You are the real deal ✅ I loved One World Kitchen 🌏

[@bobdavis1168]

Thank you so much for this Outstanding Presentation !!!

[@aardvark493]

I make mom’s recipe of Pad Thai. She was from Udorn My kids wanted a Thai dinner for Xmas one year because it was so good. 😅 I made spring rolls, fried rice and pad thai

[@dub3dude]

This was awesome 🤣 Thanks for the reviews.

[@warcraftwow5943]

The Thai Queen has spoken and lessons learned. 😂.

[@sandogdy7175]

Nothing beats a Thai dish made by a person who knows how to cook. I've tried a lot of instant Asian dishes and most of the time I have to improvise them. 😁 Now, I always have a Thai peanut sauce on the fridge that can go with most of the meals we eat.

[@g.e.boroush5176]

I agree with you re: the amount of sugar some manufacturers put in their prepared products. I once tried a Trader Joe's marinara pasta sauce that was so sweet that it tasted like a dessert it was so sweet. I threw it away. A little sugar, for recipe balance, can be a good thing. The sweet taste can be addicting and lead to serious sugar-eating problems. Thankfully we have your good taste and good cooking to follow. This was a fun video and thank you for 'going there' so that the rest of us don't have to!! haha!

[@10847119]

This is so much fun to watch! I couldn't stop laughing throughout.

[@leapingkitties]

Oh I wish this had come out 2 weeks ago. I was wanting a quick fix and got the instant noodle b/c why not. Never again. Thanks for doing this.

[@jefferyneu3915]

Undoubtedly, you saved me from some buying mistakes! Thank you!😃

[@jacqueline4176]

I LOVE cooking and like the fact that every country has their take on other countries dishes. We all use ingredients that are available to us in our regions. :)

[@nhokonhokopuala]

I only follow you related to Thai food, same for my favourite Korean chef, my Singaporean chef,❤❤❤ I also follow your advise regarding coconut milk and i have not regretted, same to that sauce that's part of my life now❤. You are a great chef and a great representative of the land of beautiful people🎉

[@NomenNescio99]

All "thai" restaurants in my town are being run by folks from Vietnam, and they don't serve anything that even closely reassemble Thai food. I react much like you did when you tasted the first noodles from Costco if I eat at any of the local "thai" restaurants. As usual, watching hot Thai kitchen and cook your own food is the best option. I made a Khai yadsai for lunch today and it tasted awesome.

[@stsotika]

Khai yadsai is soooooooooooooooooooo goood all the time and childrens really gonna love it

[@jlee8181]

Pai, you are the real deal as far as Thai cooking goes.

[@nicafyl2]

Just watching the faces you made with the first ones was well worth my time. Now, I will go back to making my own Pad Thai.

[@writingraven3314]

I loved this video. It was fun and your reactions were funny. Can you do instant Thai peanut satay next?