Paderno World Cuisine 18.5 Inch Polished Carbon Steel Paella Pan (Cultural Kids)
World Class Culinary Equipment and Tools from Around the World
How about an embarrassing story about me to start off this review. I thought you would like that! As you may recall from my past posts, I rarely traveled outside of my home state of Ohio until I was a teen. My first flight on an airplane I went to London and Madrid! Talk about a SHOCK to my system. It was a totally awesome experience, but since I had done very little research (as a 17 or 18 year old sometimes tends to do…) I had a lot of pleasant and interesting surprises on the trip.
For one, trying paella for the first time!
I was a guest in a Spanish house with just three other Americans in the Valencia area of Spain for two days of my trip. I had no idea at the time that Valencia is where the paella dish originated – I had never even heard of it at that point– and since no one told me that the dialect was different in that area (the Spanish dialect in Valencia is Catalan, and was/or/ is very hard for a Spanish-speaking novice especially like me at that time) so the lunch was more of a miming game. They served me a dish that they made right in front of us and I could see shells all though it. Ummm…what was that, I wondered? So you just eat around them? Too scared to ask especially since no one seemed to understand me, I ate around the shells and hoped I wasn’t offending anyone. I still laugh about it now! But – WOW – it was delicious!
Years later, this has become one of my favorite Spanish dishes and since we like to explore other cultures in our household, I thought it was time to make paella for real. Like, saffron-real, my friends!
So what is paella? Different versions of paella exist with different variations in several countries, but since it started in Valencia, Spain, I’m going to concentrate on the authentic version of this popular dish. There are three types of paella; Valencia, seafood and something that is called a mixed paella. Valencia paella consists of white rice, green veggies, different types of meats (including snails, chicken, rabbit and duck) and beans and special seasoning like saffron (which gives the white rice a beautiful yellowish color.)
How do you cook paella? First, I was pretty spoiled in Spain. I was lucky enough to go back years later and study at a language school in Malaga and we always cooked paella outside in special paella dishes over an open fire. Most of the paella pans are HUGE and feed a large crowd so it is the perfect party dish. It’s such a fun and bonding experience and the food is delish. It didn’t hurt that I was living on the Costa del Sol on the Mediterranean so I had some awesome beach views, too. However, to re-create the experience for my kiddos at home in Austin, we are cooking on the open range (sans any burn banning laws which happens from time to time in our dry climate.) But, not to worry, you can also make paella over the grill or even the oven with this pan.
What does the Paderno World Cuisine include and why is it so special?
- Authentic paella pan
- Professional Quality
- Perfect for traditional Spanish paella
- Dual zinc handles
- Ideal heat dispersion
- Blue steel
- Durable pan safe for stove top, oven or grill
- Ideal for serving 4 to 6 people. Note: Much larger versions are available but, of course, more pricey.
- The pan comes with an informative pamphlet and care instructions.
My Take? I absolutely LOVED the experience of cooking paella outdoors and Brooke was fascinated since we have been discussing Spain for a few months now. If you are into doing a cool cultural cuisine for kids or just want to have a happening party, check out making some paella at home! I think you will love it as much as we do!
Woah Momma! That’s a whole lotta pan!
For her birthday, which just happens to be the hottest time of the year in Austin, so this pan was put through the ‘oven’ test, and it passed with flying colors!
Tip: Cleaning a paella pan can be a little tricky and do NOT use in a dishwasher. Follow the included cleaning instructions and this pan should last a very long time!
Paderno World Cuisine 18.5 Inch Polished Carbon Steel Paella Pan (Cultural Kids)
List Price: $ 46.46
Momma's Bacon 