Making Paella - some questions

[MMRuth]

First, I've reviewed the various threads about cooking Paella, and specifically cooking it over a wood burning grill.

My question is - can I use a large cast iron skillet, and do I need to have a cover for it? I have a paella pan, and could bring it with me, but am not sure it could withstand the heat.

[PBSF]

Paella pans are made to withstand cooking over a grill or open fire. You won't need a lid since paella is never cook covered.

[MMRuth]

I'll have to check mine out - I bought it from tienda.com -thanks, M

[PBSF]

Tienda imports their pans from Spain. You should be able to use it on the grill.

[jillbeast]

The only difference between a paella pan and a skillet that I can see is that the edges of the paella pan are fluted out more widely, so the sides aren't straight up and down. A large cast iron skillet with at least sloped edges would work. My guess is that more liquid would be held in with straighter sides making it possibly mushy, or that it's simply a presentation thing with the paella pans, allowing the rice to fan out in all of its glory. I got a cheapo paella pan while I was in Spain at a department store. I saw them cook huge paellas over large gas ranges, but never over wood. That sounds like it might be fun and fast!

[aureliano buendia]

Paella is a dish not so much to be enjoyed, but in the true Spanish spirit, argued about.

[daeglo]

Paella does not have to be cooked in a paella pan. The best recipe I found was from Americas Test Kitchen. See link below

http://americastestkitchen.com/printr...

This recipe calls for a dutch oven (I used my lodge cast iron w/ lid on), and it turned out perfectly. Took it from stove-top to oven to stove-top to create the soccarat (that delicious darkened bit at the bottom of the pan that the Spanish adore.

Traditional cooking methods often don't turn out the best results. While my paella was not as great as my friend Silla's from Spain, it was far better than any I've tasted including restaurants in NYC & Spain.

P.S. Single taskers suck!

[caroliz]

I just bought a paella pan today - I plan on giving it a try for the first time this weekend. I was told the pan can handle the stove-top and oven, so wood burning should be fine too. My understanding is the pan helps get an "authentic" rice-make sure your rice is short/medium grain!

[Mr. Cookie]

One reason cooking paella in a paella pan is preferable is because the pan is made from a thinner grade of metal. A small amount of scorched rice on the bottom of the pan is one of the tasty hallmarks of true paella (that's another reason you want to cook it over a fire or grill). The scorching would be difficult to achieve with a heavier guage skillet.