If you are just starting out looking into paella recipes, then you may have come across a dozen various sizes and materials. Finding the best paella pan for your recipe can somethings be difficult if you have never cooked it before. How many servings does a normal recipe make, what size should your pan be, and what type of pan should you buy? If these questions are confusing you then we at Machika are here to help. In this blog, I will go over all you need to get the right paella pan for your chicken! The first thing you will want to consider before getting paella pan is the serving size you are looking for.
Best Paella Pan Sizes
Paella pans can come in all types of sizes ranging from small personal sized pans to large party sized pans. While you might assume a larger pan is always better for cooking paella, there is an upper limit depending on your cooking space and burner size. After all, you if you are cooking a large recipe then the last thing you want is to find out your burners are not large enough to properly heat the pan.
Best Personal Paella Pan Size
When it comes to cooking paella, you do not need to cook a large recipe all at once simply because that is what it calls for. You can adjust recipes and make a personal single serving amount of paella at home. Cooking does not need to be a grand undertaking for an entire family or group. Cooking food at home and trying out new recipes can be just as fulfilling by yourself. Some of the best sizes for personal paella recipes include are typically 26 cm (10 in) in diameter.
You can easily adjust any paella recipe for a smaller personal sized pan. Let us take our Machika Organic Chicken Paella Recipe as an example. This delicious and simple recipe calls for 1 ½ pounds of chicken breast or thighs for a serving size of 6-8. All you really need to do is divide the recipe by how much you intend to make and eat. If you only need a single serving, then dividing 1.5 by 6 leaves you with a quarter pound of chicken necessary. Now, all you must do is the same math for the rest of the recipe and make sure you salt and pepper to taste. A 26 cm (10 in) paella pan is perfect for a personal size amount of paella though, you could also get away with something slightly larger, but you would want to avoid getting anything over 30 cm (12 in). A small sized paella pan should comfortably fit on any home stove or oven.
Best Medium to Large Sized Paella Pan
If you are cooking for a group meal for family and friends, then you will need to consider certain things like overall serving size and how you will be cooking. If over an open flame or outdoors on a paella burner, then you should not have much trouble evenly heating the pan. Medium to large paella pans typically make 10 to 16 servings but can go up all the way to over 2 dozen servings. At the largest end, we offer paella pans that can make 25 servings at once with a diameter of 70 cm or 28 in.
Which Paella Pan Material is the Best?
Another important question to ask when buying a paella pan and cooking recipes is what material should you invest in? Paella pans most often come in two varieties, a polished carbon steel or an enamel coating. But what is the real difference between the two besides cost? Well, there are a couple differences, but they are about the same. Polished steel requires extra care to keep it in top shape. For example, the metal should be coated kind of like a cast iron pan. If you do not treat the metal after cleaning and before storage, you raise the risk of the pan rusting. Coating the pan with oil and storing in a cool dry place prevents oxidation from occurring.
Enameled cookware comes with a protective coating that prevents air and water from reaching the sensitive metal. Rather than having to treat the pan after use, you instead just take care of the surface itself. You will want to be careful not to scratch or damage the enamel layer. If the enamel layer in not damaged, it will cook well, be naturally non-stick, and require little additional care. Enamel cookware is great for those that do not want to take extra steps to take care of their pans but are willing to spend a little more.
Cooking Paella Recipes with your Pan
Cooking paella with your various pans does not change much as long as you are using the right sized pan and ingredient. Never try to make a paella recipe for 10 servings when you only have a pan that can make 6. What will happen is the rice and ingredients will not cook properly. In a worst-case scenario, the pan may even overflow or the bottom layer may burn before the rest of the dish is cooked. If you are just looking for a good middle ground when it comes to pan size, 15 to 17 inches are typically great for any average recipe.
Buy Authentic Paella Pans from Machika Today!
Getting the most out of your cooking experience is easy with the right tools. At Machika, we have all the sizes and types of paella pans you will need to make an authentic paella recipe. You can purchase both polished steel paella pans and enameled paella pans at the lowest prices around. Our paella pans are authentic cookware imported from Valencia, Spain.
If you want to try making paella from the comfort of your own home, you can do so easily with a Machika paella pan. You can check out or enameled paella pans or carbon steel paella pans by clicking here. Take advantage of our 10% off deal and get yourself, a family member, or a good friend a paella pans today!
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