Vietnamese Flan in Plastic Cups

[SuzySushi]

All the Vietnamese sandwich shops around here sell flan in clear plastic drink cups.

How do they do it? Wouldn't the plastic melt if the flan were baked or steamed in the cups? If the flan is prepared beforehand and poured into the cups cooled, how do they prevent the custard from mixing with the caramel syrup at the bottom? (Or is it all just an optical illusion? )

[vivelafrance]

All the Vietnamese sandwich shops around here sell flan in clear plastic drink cups.

How do they do it? Wouldn't the plastic melt if the flan were baked or steamed in the cups? If the flan is prepared beforehand and poured into the cups cooled, how do they prevent the custard from mixing with the caramel syrup at the bottom? (Or is it all just an optical illusion?  )

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I don't know how they do it but you can find flan in a clear plastic cup in France. I grew up on them, and still love them whenever I go home. Have you tried them?

[SuzySushi]

I don't know how they do it but you can find flan in a clear plastic cup in France. I grew up on them, and still love them whenever I go home. Have you tried them?

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The supermarket versions, yes. You can also find them in Japan. I assume that the factory processing uses plastic containers that are more heat-stable than ordinary clear plastic cups, and also the ingredients probably contain gelatin or other stabilizers. But I'm pretty sure the ones in the sandwich shops are made in the back of the store, and I want to know how!

A Vietnamese friend brings tapioca pudding in plastic cups to potlucks. That's easy, because the pudding is cooked in a pot and just divided into the cups afterwards. But how to do the flan?

[Kayakado]

Next time you are at a bar-b-que or at a campfire, try setting an open plastic water bottle on the fire/coals. As long as it has water in it, it doesn't melt. The heat is transferred to the water.