# Yahoo answers got something terribly wrong? (Re: Flan) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899 "2010-03-01T19:01:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/1 "2010-03-01T19:01:14Z")
So I’m sitting here eating some lovely flan, and I started to wonder – what, exactly, is the difference between flan and creme caramel? I decided to google it, and my first hit was from Yahoo answers. The gist of it: Flan has a flaky pastry crust and is filled with either a fruit or savory filling. Creme caramel is a baked custard. Hmm… I’ve had flan a few times, and it’s always lacked crust, fruit, and meat. So… what, exactly, is the difference between flan and creme caramel? ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/2 "2010-03-01T19:05:14Z")
I’ve never had creme caramel so I don’t know the difference but I can back you up on the flan description. My experience agrees with yours. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/3 "2010-03-01T19:06:01Z")
I have yet to see Yahoo answers get anything terribly _right_, and yet they’re always high in search results. That said, according to Wikipedia (I’d never heard this either), a British flan does in fact involve a shortcrust base and a savory or sweet filling. IME, in the US, flan always refers to the Spanish version, which is a variation on a creme caramel, and involves no crust or savory stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/4 "2010-03-01T19:06:56Z")
How is flan formed? How make crust flaky? ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/5 "2010-03-01T19:09:09Z")
never mind ---
**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:** [March 1, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/6 "2010-03-01T19:11:20Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > IME, in the US, flan always refers to the Spanish version, which is a variation on a creme caramel, and involves no crust or savory stuff. I agree. There is a great restaurant that features the cuisine of southern? Spain. When the waiter goes over the desert options I always laugh. He will list all these scrumptious options that he has totally memorized. “Tonight we feature a plate of fresh berries topped with creme frech and drizzled with a sauce made from polar bear kidney” types of descriptions. The waiter recites these fantastic deserts for what seems like 10 minutes. He finishes with, “and flan”.😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/7 "2010-03-01T19:45:15Z")
Ah, so there is British flan and Spanish flan. Very different, indeed. Kind of like the difference between New England clam chowder and, say, pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/8 "2010-03-01T20:11:27Z")
Yahoo Answers is a community-based answering system, with a remarkably idiotic community. The SDMB is to Yahoo Answers as The Complete Works Of Shakespeare is to YouTube comments. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/9 "2010-03-01T20:33:03Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Yahoo Answers is a community-based answering system, with a remarkably idiotic community. The SDMB is to Yahoo Answers as The Complete Works Of Shakespeare is to YouTube comments. roflmao:D:D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/10 "2010-03-01T21:10:17Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > How is flan formed? How make crust flaky? Flann is formed deep instain oven. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/11 "2010-03-01T22:05:11Z")
This is what I think of when I hear [Flan](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Flan/Detail.aspx) and this is what I think of when I hear Creme\_Caramel . In short, Flan is served hot, Creme Caramel cold. This requires slight differences in the texture and ingredients. If you make Flan and serve it cold, the caramel will be a razor sharp shell on top of the custard. If you make creme caramel and serve it hot, it will be caramel custard soup. ETA: Bravo, RevTim! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/12 "2010-03-01T22:20:17Z")
Apparently, **Creme\_Caramel** is not yet a top-level domain. Still, I live in hopes. ---
**Author:** ![Torpor\_Beast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Torpor\_Beast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torpor_Beast)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/13 "2010-03-01T22:24:09Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Flann is formed deep instain oven. I am truley hungry for your lots. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/14 "2010-03-01T22:26:26Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Yahoo Answers is a community-based answering system, with a remarkably idiotic community. The SDMB is to Yahoo Answers as The Complete Works Of Shakespeare is to YouTube comments. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++ WOULD READ AGAIN thx!!! ---
**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:** [March 1, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/15 "2010-03-01T22:27:41Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever had hot flan. I may have had one or two served slightly warm, but never hot. The topping (or actually bottom before its inverted) of flan remains a caramel liquid even after chilling. I, too, am curious at what the difference between flan and creme caramel are. As far as I can tell, they’re local names for basically the same foodstuff. ---
**Author:** ![Torpor\_Beast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Torpor\_Beast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torpor_Beast)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/16 "2010-03-01T22:32:39Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Yahoo Answers is a community-based answering system, with a remarkably idiotic community. The SDMB is to Yahoo Answers as The Complete Works Of Shakespeare is to YouTube comments. IIRC, someone on this board had an another nicely quotable line summing that up: “For yahoo answers, see Yahoo Answers”. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/17 "2010-03-01T23:01:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I, too, am curious at what the difference between flan and creme caramel are. As far as I can tell, they’re local names for basically the same foodstuff. Alton Brown would agree with you: [“…creme caramel - a.k.a. flan…”](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season3/EggII/EggIITranscript.htm), and later in the same episode “Now, I guess the French thought that flan sounded too much like phlegm because they changed it to crème caramel. But, either way it’s a deliciously simple egg custard baked on top of a pool of something that when inverted turns out to be a sauce on top.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/18 "2010-03-01T23:51:53Z")
A [fruit flan](http://www3.sympatico.ca/kingpede/Yummy_Fruit_Flan.jpg) is a flat-ish fruit tart. The pan is fluted and low, there is usually a custard base, and then fresh sliced fruit is arranged on top with a fruit glaze. A baked flan, Spanish-style, is a creme caramel. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/19 "2010-03-01T23:53:01Z")
Now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yahoo-answers-got-something-terribly-wrong-re-flan/530899/20 "2010-03-02T01:38:34Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > How is flan formed? How make crust flaky? They need to do way instain chef\> who ruin thier flan. becuse these flan cant frigth back it was on the news this mroing a mother in ar who had ruin her three flan . they are taking the three flan back to new york too lady to rest my pary are with the chef who lost his flan ; i am truley sorry for your lots