During paella class at Savour Academy, attendees frequently ask me about the best paella pan and other equipment to buy – including paella ingredients – and many are based in the USA. So I have put together a list of essential tools you need to cook a paella in the USA, and where you can order them online. I will post separately about paella ingredients.
This article contains affiliate links (being the easiest place to buy these niche products) and the items are genuinely based on my professional opinion.
Want to start cooking paella back home? Start with this buying guide for paella utensils!
What Paella Pan to Buy?
If you have attended my paella class in Barcelona, you may remember my explanation about the different pans and why I like them for different uses. First of all, how many people do you want to cook paella for, and are you cooking indoors or outdoors? These are important points in deciding, because you need to buy the right size pan for the maximum number of people you intend to cook for.
This does not, however, mean that the “6 ration” size of pan should be used for 6 people. I recommend, assuming that you are cooking for 2-6 people, the “9 ration” pan (40 cm or 16 inches wide), as this is the largest that I can fit in my EU standard size oven (and the oven is the best way to finish your paella when cooking indoors). So measure your oven – if you are planning on cooking the paella indoors – and pick the maximum size based on that.
If you are cooking outdoors, on the grill or if you want to buy a paella burner, you have more flexibility on size, and usually this means you can go for a bigger pan. Let’s say you want to cook a large paella for 10 people – I would recommend a “15 ration” or larger pan, to allow for a nice thin spread of rice – anything up to 60 cm in diameter (“20 ration”) is ideal for 9-16 people.
Best Paella Pans and Burners
Paella Pans
- 40 cm 16 inch Garcima La Ideal – A stainless steel pan with gold effect handles. A very aesthetic pan (looks great hanging up in the kitchen!) this is also ideal for browning, as you can see what’s going on in the pan. I recommend this pan for 2-6 people max. The shiny reflective surface means you can avoid the pan drying out and smoking. This pan is also easy to clean – just soak and scrub!
- 55 cm 22 inch black enamel pan – If you have a bigger oven but you want a more economical “starter” paella pan, the Garcima black enamel pan like this one is a great choice – just be more vigilant of the pan drying out when browning, because it is not as visible. The black enamel pan is also more forgiving when it comes to outdoor grilling. Serves 7-12 people.
- 60cm 24 inch Garcima La Ideal – Garcima also has this bigger option of their gold-handled stainless steel pan at 60cm (serving 9-16 people). Ideal if you have a larger oven (24 inches or more) so you can cook for larger groups at home.
Burners and Kits
- 60cm 24 inch Garcima polished steel pan set with burner – This set, which includes the stand with legs, is recommended for outdoor cooking in large numbers. The polished steel pan is the traditional larger scale pan. In fact if you are looking for a pan larger than 60 cm, the polished steel pan is your only option. They are meant to be outdoorsy and they will look aged quickly, so they need to be seasoned with oil after cleaning. Overall, a pretty reliable pan.
- 40cm 16 inch Garcima burner – If you only need the burner to set on a heat-proof surface, this 16 inch burner works for the smaller pans I have mentioned up to the 60 cm 24 inch pans.
Other Useful Paella Cooking Utensils
I highly recommend using a flat headed silicone spatula such as this Di Oro set of spatulas. The larger slotted spatula is ideal for turning the rice quickly without it sticking to the silicone, and the smaller spatulas come in handy for deglazing the sofrito and browning the protein in the paella pan. It will make your paella cooking experience much more straightforward!
You may remember my collection of fruit or vegetable shaped timers! Timing is important when cooking paella, so if you don’t want to get your phone (timer) covered in paella hands during cooking, a wind-up timer like this lemon kitchen timer is practical, as well as being easy to use and locate!
These are my essential items for cooking a paella just about anywhere, so let me know when you have your paella utensils ready and maybe we can cook online together? I look forward to hearing from you again!
Best, Zara
