# Biscuits vs croissants **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045 "2015-12-22T00:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/21 "2015-12-22T02:30:13Z")
They’re quite different things, of course, but if I had to pick one, croissant without a question. It’s more useful for the types of foods I like to eat. But I’d probably go for a well-made baguette over either of these. I’m not just a huge fan of biscuits except in very particular circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/22 "2015-12-22T03:35:52Z")
Honest, I can’t imagine eating croissant during a meal. I’d sooner compare the merits of buttermilk biscuits to yorkshire pudding. The latter is great with gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/23 "2015-12-22T03:49:01Z")
I prefer biscuits. Not a croissant fan, as they’re just too damn flaky for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/24 "2015-12-22T03:57:04Z")
I see no reason to choose. Croissants are great by themselves with absolutely nothing on them. Hot biscuits with melted butter can be sublime. Whatever the choice, eat them right out of the oven. Both deteriorate quickly. But if you _really_ want to live, go for a popover!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/25 "2015-12-22T04:57:39Z")
Croissant. I have a phobia about touching flour and there is too much of a risk that a homemade biscuit will have flour on it. I cringe/shudder just thinking about it. Only if it is already smothered in sausage gravy can I risk a biscuit. ---
**Author:** ![Torontonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/45deac/32.png) [@Torontonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torontonian)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/26 "2015-12-22T05:19:32Z")
croissants win by far. have you had a croissant out of the oven? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/27 "2015-12-22T05:46:35Z")
Croissants, as long as they aren’t the shitty ones used as buns by some. It’s the difference between a real donut and a cake donut. What I don’t know is if you can make a proper croissant that is gluten free. ---
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/28 "2015-12-22T05:57:22Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > So that brings us to croissants. I really like croissants. They don’t excite me like top-shelf biscuits do, but they’ve got one thing going for them: They never disappoint. I have never been bamboozled by a croissant. When I pick up some at the grocery store, I always know what I’m going to get. But I can’t say the same for biscuits. Indeed, I am quite afraid of grocery store biscuits! They are the worst. > > Croissants also have a better shelf life. Freshly made biscuits have a 24-hour lifespan. It doesn’t take long for them to turn into choke turds. And they also require heat reactivation. A cold biscuit makes me want to cry. But not croissants! They aren’t so high maintenance, even though I’m guessing they are more difficult to make. > > So because of all these reasons, I think croissants win. What do you think? I think you’ve never had a **real** croissant. Those things in the grocery stores aren’t real croissants. Just because it’s baked and shaped in a crescent doesn’t make it a croissant. When I used to go to New Orleans, I’d skip the beignets. Instead there’s the French bakery by Jackson Square — I’d go there for the croissants. There was one French bakery downtown where I live that made real croissants. When it went out of business, I’d have to wait for New Orleans for that sublime pleasure. Sometimes it was years between croissants. Now I’m thrilled there’s a Panera Bread a mile from my house because they make **real** croissants. But here’s what I’ve discovered. Panera only makes them in the morning. If you wait as long as noon to get the croissant, they’re already going stale. A real croissant has a shelf life of hours before it’s delicious, buttery, delicate flakiness starts to harden. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/29 "2015-12-22T11:26:41Z")
Not really a huge fan of either, I’d probably prefer toast. But if those are the options: biscuit. If fried chicken is available, I’m not eating _any_ bread until it looks like the chicken stores are getting low. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/30 "2015-12-22T12:24:10Z")
> [@Torontonian](#): > > croissants win by far. have you had a croissant out of the oven? Have you ever had a proper buttermilk biscuit made from scratch and fresh out of the oven? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/31 "2015-12-22T13:25:56Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Croissants also have a better shelf life. Freshly made biscuits have a 24-hour lifespan. In line with the last few posts, I think this may indicate the crux of the misunderstanding on both sides. Neither biscuits nor croissants have any “shelf life,” really. A proper fresh one, of either, is lost in a lot less than 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/32 "2015-12-22T13:39:54Z")
When I was a baker, I had access to as many fresh croissants as I wanted. A croissant made properly is a thing of beauty and terror. Delicious, yes, but by my calculations a single croissant contains roughly four full sticks of butter. I wasn’t responsible for making them, thank god. It’s an arduous process even with a proper sheeter, and ours was directly between the pastry oven and the back of my monstrous bread oven. Given a choice between the two, both made with care and fresh from the oven… I think the croissant wins out. But only if I haven’t had one in the last week or two. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/33 "2015-12-22T13:44:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Given a choice between the two, both made with care and fresh from the oven… I think the croissant wins out. But only if I haven’t had one in the last week or two. I say that nails it, for me. And luckily, for me, a real fresh croissant is harder to come by. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/34 "2015-12-22T13:52:21Z")
The average croissant is better than the average biscuit. Sure, I’ve had really good biscuits, and lots of croissants, but most times you get something that is just average, no matter what baked good it is. This is the same reason pie is better than cake. Take the kind of pie you’d probably pick up at the store: sure, the crust is limp and the filling is probably too sweet. That’s still superior to lifeless yellow sponge encrusted in a quarter inch of diabetes. I mean, frosting. Therefore, pie wins. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/35 "2015-12-22T14:18:05Z")
Biscuits. I love them both, but I will find myself craving a biscuit; I have never craved a croissant. Also, a perfect biscuit is slightly less crumby than a perfect croissant. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/36 "2015-12-22T15:26:55Z")
Biscuits, if only for variety; they can be dry or moist, and of varying sweetness. Croissaints, in my experience, are a lot more limited. I’ve probably had gravy on a croissant once, but it’s not the same. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/37 "2015-12-22T16:18:36Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > The average croissant is better than the average biscuit. Sure, I’ve had really good biscuits, and lots of croissants, but most times you get something that is just average, no matter what baked good it is. > > This is the same reason pie is better than cake. Take the kind of pie you’d probably pick up at the store: sure, the crust is limp and the filling is probably too sweet. That’s still superior to lifeless yellow sponge encrusted in a quarter inch of diabetes. I mean, frosting. Therefore, pie wins. This post wins! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/38 "2015-12-22T17:20:43Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > As a professional baker it is six of one, half dozen of another to me. I love both biscuits and croissants. > > Biscuits are much easier to make, and take only about 20% of the time it takes for croissants, if that much. > > But a hot fresh croissant is the food of the gods. > > I learned how to make sausage gravy for the sake of ymmy biscuits though. And bsicuits are also good broken up, with brown gravy. Amen, sister (or is it brother?). A fresh, flaky, buttery croissant is tough to beat. We usually have them once a week or so from our neighborhood bakery, and either make a breakfast sandwich or just butter and homemade jam. I love me some biscuits and gravy, though. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/39 "2015-12-22T17:31:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > … but by my calculations a single croissant contains roughly four full sticks of butter. You’re talking about a batch, right? Or just joking? Because four sticks of butter is a pound, and I’ve never seen any croissant that weighed even half of that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045/40 "2015-12-22T17:45:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Croissants, with the caveat that there are very few places outside of France or Quebec that makes them right. In a few weeks I’ll be in St Martin vacationing. Every year we stop at least once for breakfast at [La Croissanterie](https://www.facebook.com/lacroissanteriesxm) in Marigot. French owned/operated and the best croissants I’ve ever tasted. My gf, who has been to Paris agrees. Mmmmmmmmm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biscuits-vs-croissants/741045.md?page=3)