How a paella pan works
Paella takes its name from the pan it's cooked in, not the other way round. Here's why the pan looks the way it does.
Where paella comes from
Paella is a rice dish that originates in the Valencian Community in Spain, and it's a widely known dish from that country. It's generally traced to the mid-19th century in rural Valencia, around the Albufera lagoon, where farmers combined ingredients they had to hand — rice, beans, and whatever else was available — cooked over an open fire.
Why the pan is wide and shallow
The pan — the paellera — is traditionally made of polished or coated steel with two side handles, and the dish is named after it (the word "paella" comes from the Old French paelle and Latin patella, both meaning "frying pan"). Cooked traditionally over an open flame, the wide, shallow shape spreads the rice into a thin layer so it cooks evenly across the whole pan rather than steaming in a deep pot. Diners traditionally eat straight from the pan it was cooked in.
What "socarrat" is
The wide surface and direct heat are also what let the thin, caramelised layer of rice on the bottom of the pan — called socarrat — form, which is part of why the shape matters and not just the material.
The pan we're using
We're working with the Alises Anti-Rust Steel Paella Pan, 40cm — enamelled carbon steel, traditional paellera shape (two side handles — confirm against the listing). A 40cm pan serves 2–4 people with a thin layer, 5–7 at medium depth, or 8–9 filled to capacity, based on 100g dry rice per person (Original Paella's servings-by-diameter chart, accessed 2026-09-04).
Related: fideuà uses the same pan with noodles instead of rice, and if you're deciding between a gas ring outdoors and a hob indoors, see burner or hob.
Sources (accessed 2026-09-04): Wikipedia, "Paella". This page describes the dish and pan; it makes no health or nutrition claims.