Apr 08 2016
Yes just what I needed another new pan. Wanting to make some Spanish paella I thought I need a regular paella pan. I ordered a Paderno 13 inch paella pan along with 2 oz. of Spanish saffron from amazon. It came today so I seasoned the pan.
The pan was carbon steel; it was a little thinner than I thought it would be with a dimpled bottom that looked pressed in. There were several brands of paella pans to choose from but I had read where Paderno was a good brand. The directions for seasoning the pan was; to boil some water in it first to clean; then coat with oil and heat on a burner. I did this using grape seed oil and it got a little warped.
It didn’t take on a lot of color so I coated it with oil and did it twice in the oven. The first time I let it go until 350 deg. and then shut off until cooled. I did it again until 375 deg. and shut off until cooled. The warp on the bottom did not seem as bad. It will be fine for cooking on my outdoor gas burner but not sure how it will do on my glass top stove.
The saffron was 2 oz. of Spanish saffron at $9.95. That is about the cheapest you will find. I checked and Penzey’s wants $18 for 2 oz. The 2 oz. looks like it is enough for 4 good pinches to use in Spanish dishes. I think the saffron is a must in good Paella.
Smokin Don
