HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST PAELLA PAN – MATERIALS, SIZE & REVIEWS

Garcima Carbon Steel 22-Inch Paella Pan

Design:

Garcima Carbon steel pan is a wide silver colored pan with two dual riveted handles on opposite sides of the pan. The sides are slightly sloped towards the center and the cooking surface is dimpled.

The pan measures 22-inch in width and has a 2.25-inch-deep cooking surface that is enough to cook food for 7 to 12 people.

Materials:

A carbon steel body on this pan enables its use over a variety of heat sources including coal grills, cooking stoves, and the oven. The dual riveted handles have a gap where they meet the body to facilitate heat loss. This means that they remain cool to the touch.

Usability:

We like this pan's size because it allows it to sit perfectly over a 23-inch grill and a cooktop with four closely located burners. Note, however, that using the pan over the four burners requires that you rotate the pan frequently for even heating. The carbon steel material with a hammered dimpled cooking surface enables users to cook paellas quickly and with ease.

Feedback from users of this pan reveals that most of them love the fact that they can use it to cook for up to 12 people at a go. The pan's size, however, makes it too large for most ovens at home even though you can use it over multiple cooking stoves and coal grill.

Caring for cast iron utensils needs you to be keen. We recommend hand washing the pan and drying it immediately thereafter to prevent rusting. Any hard to remove materials should be scrapped off after soaking in warm water with a pan scrapper.

Users praise this pan because its cooking surface comes ready to cook on and gets better with time as long as one cares for it properly.

Matfer Bourgeat Black Steel Paella Pan

Design:

This pan has a shiny dark appearance with two handles on opposite sides. The pan measures 15 inches wide and is 2 inches deep.

A circular cooking surface that comes with sloped sides and a weight that is barely 7 pounds make it easy to turn food as it cooks on this pan.

Materials:

Highly polished steel that makes up both the base of the pan and its cooking surface is ideal for use over all stoves including induction heaters.

The pan comes with handles that are almost erect, a unique design that is different from traditional Paella pans that came with handles directly welded to the pan's body. The polished cooking surface makes the pan suitable for dishes such as Paella, steaks, and vegetables.

Usability:

The polished utensil will require you to season the pan before you use it to cook anything. In fact, the manufacturer has provided users who purchase this pan with guidelines on how to season it.

Users praise the pan's cooking surface because it becomes naturally non-stick after curing correctly. Moreover, metallic utensils do not affect it. We encourage users to follow the guide by the manufacturer and season the pan using a mixture of oil, salt, and potato peelings.

Garcima Stainless Steel 16-Inch Paella Pan

Design:

Garcima have a stainless steel version of a paella pan that has a dimpled cooking surface and is shiny in appearance. This pan is 15 inches wide, which is enough to hold enough food for 4 to 6 people.

Two spacious handles that are golden in color are conveniently attached on opposite sides of the pan's body.

Materials:

This pans body is made of highly polished 18/8 stainless steel that makes it look elegant. The material is also thin for quick heating.

The gold colored handles remain cool to touch even after cooking for long hours. The medium sized cooking surface fits over most stoves and can even fit over two burners on smaller stoves.

Usability:

The thin design of the cooking surface is aimed at mitigating the ineffective heat conductivity of steel. This design, however, comes with limitations because the thin body overheats when left on the stove without any food on it. We, therefore, advise you to monitor the heat when using this pan and maintain it at moderate levels.

Some users, however, were dissatisfied with the pan due to its lack of compatibility with induction cookers.

Victoria Seasoned Cast Iron 13-Inch Paella Frying Pan

Design:

This pan comes in a dark gray color on both the interior and exterior sides of the pan. The solid nature has loop handles that extend from the body on opposite sides.

Two pouring notches are also etched into the top edge and are perpendicular to the handles. The pan is 13 inches wide and has a 2-inch deep cooking surface.

Materials:

The body on the Victoria Paella pan is made of cast iron and comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer. The handles are part of the pan's body, which eliminates need for attachment rivets. The pan supports use over induction and ceramic heaters, campfire, grill, broiler, and ovens.

Usability:

This pan's solid body makes it look strong and durable. The cast iron body is pre-seasoned from the manufacturer with natural vegetable oil that makes the non-sick surface able to cook healthy and safe food free of PFOA and PTFE toxins.

From the users' comments, the pan should not be cleaned in the dishwasher. We recommend hand washing and scraping the cooking surface with a scrapper as efficient methods to get out any leftover food particles that may stick to the pan during use.

Garcima Mirador Carbon Steel Paella Pan Set with Burner

Design:

The Garcima Set comprises a red tripod stand with a burner that is 20-inch wide at the top and a 24-inch Paella pan that comes with wide red handles on opposite sides.

The pan is silver in color and has a depth of 2.25 inches. The burner has two rings that heat up the pan at the base with each ring independently controlled using a different knob.

Materials:

The carbon steel materials used to make this Paella pan enable quick heating while the dual rings on the burner ensure that all the parts of the wide cooking surface heat up at the same time.

The handles on the pan are red painted and riveted to the sides of the pan's body. The riveting increases their heat dissipation abilities to make sure they remain cool to the touch even after cooking for long hours. The pan supports use over stovetops, ovens, and grills.

Usability:

Enjoy cooking while outdoors with this set that has all you need in one easy to set up cooking set. The 24-inch pan also fits over large stovetops and can fit over twin burners on smaller stoves for when you want to use the pan indoors. The 30-inch tall tripod is sturdy and makes this set perfect for house parties, birthdays, and family holidays.

The tripod stand is also received positive feedback due to its heavy weight support that holds enough food for a large number of people without tipping over or caving in.

Vaello Campos Enameled Steel Paella Pan

Design:

This large size paella pan is dark in color and a starry pattern on the cooking surface.

The pan is wide at 38 centimeters in diameter, which enables you to cook up to 8 individual servings at a time. The pan is light and weighs only 2.22 pounds.

Materials:

The pan's body is made of enameled steel that is quick to heat up and spreads heat evenly. The cooking surface comprises only a single layer of metal that is covered with enamel to ensure food is not exposed to the steel metal for safe and healthy cooking. Just like other enameled utensils, the handles are directly welded to the pan's surface. This pan is viable for use over gas, electric, or coal heat sources.

Usability:

The pan's large size is good for professional cooks who serve a large number of people and enables cooking up to eight servings at one go. The enameled covering makes food easy to peel off from the smooth cooking surface and reduces effort that is used to clean up after a cooking session.

Users who have provided feedback regarding their experience using this pan highlight its slightly dented shape on the cooking surface, arguing that it makes paellas not cook evenly.

Lodge Carbon Steel 15-Inch Skillet

Design:

The Lodge Carbon Steel pan has a dark grayish appearance on both the exterior and interior. Large size handles on opposite sides are welded on the pan's slightly slanted sides to make them fit at an angle facing upwards.

The pan is 15 inches wide and has a cooking surface that is 2.5 inches deep. The overall weight of the pan is 7 pounds.

Materials:

The pan's body is thick and made of 12-gauge carbon steel that has the capability to withstand extremely high temperatures without warping. The handles are directly welded into the body of the pan, thus ensuring that they remain intact with the frequent moving of this heavy-duty pan.

The pan supports use over gas, electric, ceramic, and induction cooktops indoors and can be used over coal and campfires when you are cooking outdoors.

Usability:

We like this pan's thick and incredibly strong carbon steel body that is able to withstand and maintain high temperatures after heating up. The Lodge company has been refining their utensils for a long time. Currently, they pre-season the carbon steel pan, thus enabling direct use after purchase.

Avoid harsh detergents and soap on this pan's cooking surface. Make sure you dry the pan after washing and thereafter apply a thin layer of cooking oil. According to the manufacturer, proper care of the Lodge carbon steel pan should enable it to last a lifetime.

La Paella Pata Negra Professional Carbon Steel Pan

Design:

A stunning silver color is what strikes the eye when you look at this pan. The cooking surface is dimpled and smooth for easy turning of the food cooking on the pan.

Two large handles are welded on opposite sides of the pan's body. The pan's top measures 18.5 inches in diameter while the bottom is 16 inches wide. The depth of this pan measures 2 inches.

Materials:

The pan's body is made of carbon steel, which enables it to withstand extreme temperatures without warping. The large size of the base can fit on large burners as well as closely located burners on common cooking stoves. The carbon steel metal is suitable for use over a paella burner, gas, or charcoal grill.

Usability:

The carbon steel body that has high heat tolerance makes this a versatile tool for both home use and commercial use in a busy restaurant. Maintenance of the delicate body requires care during cleaning where we advise you to avoid soap and detergents that might harm the cast iron body.

The pan could rust if not properly cared for, which we recommend that you remove by wiping with steel wool before it accumulates.

Our review of user comments about this pan revealed happy customers who like the flat surface that spreads oil evenly without the need to redistribute it often.

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Hard-Anodized Nonstick Pan

Design:

Cuisinart has an elegant looking pan that has a stylish modern look. The pan is dark gray in color and has a clear glass lid with a shiny circular edge.

Two loop style handles are located opposite each other on the sides of the pan's body and another spacious holding handle at the top of the covering lid completes the look of this pan. The pan is 13 inches wide and 2.75 inches deep.

Materials:

The pan's body has a hard-anodized aluminum core with a Quantanium non-stick cooking surface that is fortified with titanium to prevent scratching. The tempered glass lid is clear and features a silicone edge to enable it to sit tightly at the top of the pan.

Twin stainless steel handles are riveted into the sides of the pan for easy moving with food contents. The pan supports use on gas, electric, and ceramic stoves and is oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Usability:

The pan's non-stick surface is one of a kind being that it is reinforced with titanium and offers cooks an easy time when cooking. A covering lid is a nice addition and sets this pan apart from the others in our list of Paella pans.

Disappointed users who own induction cook stoves feel left out, however, since the pan's aluminum body does not work on induction heaters.

We recommend you avoid metal utensils on this pan to prevent chipping the non-stick cooking surface. To clean it, just wash it with soap and running water.