I am making Paella for 20 people but unable to purchase a paella pan at this time. What pan can I substitute ?. I was thinking of using a chafing pan since it's not very deep like a paella pan.
You can use about any pan that you could cook rice in. I've made Paella in a stock pot, hotel pan, and a Dutch oven. Honestly, the paella in the Dutch oven turned out better than it usually does in a paella pan. The heavy bottom of the dutch oven allowed for a much better layer of toasted rice at the bottom. For very large quantities a hotel pan is most convenient, but you may have better luck cooking the rice separately and tossing it together with the other ingredients at the end.
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@sourd'oh I've done it. If I remember correctly it was the biggest one at hand, and sometimes - as some say - size matters =) – Martin Turjak Sep 26 '13 at 22:15
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@SAJ14SAJ, paella is supposed to be a single grain of rice thick. I think this advice is exaggeration for effect, but even so... – Peter Taylor Sep 26 '13 at 22:16
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@PeterTaylor I was joking, but I think the rice is tradionally "one finger" thick.... a single grain would take a whole griddle for a single serving! – SAJ14SAJ Sep 26 '13 at 22:35