Potluck Video takes a peek inside Sun Noodle New Jersey to show us how instant noodles are made. They key? Something called kansui, a form of alkaline water that gives the noodles their distinctive texture.

General manager Kenshiro Uki, son of Sun Noodle founder Hidehito Uki, explains that as many as 150 types of noodles are made in the New Jersey factory alone, with each type largely distinguished by the water concentration and the type of flour used.

He even explains why the machines are so long—which we’d never really thought about before, but now that he mentions it, makes total sense.