What is a Paella Pan?

Paella pans are wide and shallow. They are shaped like this so that the pan has as much contact with heat as possible. This allows liquid to evaporate quickly and is how the golden-brown crust is formed on the bottom of your paella which is in my opinion the best part!

Paella Pans are never sold with a lid, as lids are designed for trapping moisture and that’s the last thing you want to do with a paella. 

A paella pan has fantastic heat conduction so it is also perfect for many other uses.

Paella Pan Size Guide:

• 4 to 6 servings: 16-inch pan
• 6 to 8 servings: 18-inch pan
• 8 to 12 servings: 22-inch pan
• 12 to 20 servings: 26-inch pan
• 20 to 40 servings: 32-inch pan 

A large range of Paella pans are always available at Chefs Hat, in-store or online. Always best to pop in and then buy your ingredients across the road at the South Melbourne Market!

Simple Paella Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic (peel and chop )
• 1 onion (peel and chop)
• 1 carrot (peel and chop)
• ½ a bunch of parsley (chopped)
• 70 g quality chorizo (roughly chopped)
• 2 chicken thigh fillets (chop)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 red capsicum (deseed and chop)
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 300 g paella rice
• 100 g frozen peas
• 200 g frozen peeled cooked prawns
• 1 lemon

Add oil into your paella pan on medium heat, add the garlic, onion, carrot, chorizo, chicken and paprika, and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add red capsicum and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Stir through the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes.

Pour in 750ml of boiling water and add salt and black pepper. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.

Stir in the peas and prawns, cook for a further 5 minutes, or until hot through and a crust is formed on the bottom of the pan.

Check for seasoning then scatter chopped parsley all over the Paella. Serve with lemon wedges, and ENJOY!!