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Paella Ingredients: The Essential Guide to Authentic Spanish Flavour

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Paella is more than just a dish - it’s a celebration of Spanish culture, tradition, and flavour. While the pan and heat source play an important role, the true soul of paella lies in its ingredients. Choosing the right paella ingredients is the key to achieving that authentic taste, vibrant colour, and perfect texture that makes paella so special. In this guide, we explore the essential ingredients used in traditional paella and explain why quality matters when cooking this iconic Spanish dish. The Foundation: Paella Rice Rice is the heart of any paella. Unlike risotto or long-grain rice dishes, paella requires short-grain rice that absorbs flavour without becoming creamy or mushy. Authentic paella rice varieties such as Bomba , Senia , or Valencia rice are specifically grown for this purpose. These rice types can absorb up to three times their volume in liquid while still remaining firm, allowing them to soak up rich stock and seasoning. Using the correct rice ensures distinct gra...
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The Complete Guide to Paella Cookers for Authentic Spanish Cooking at Home and Events

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Cooking a truly authentic paella is about more than just the ingredients - it’s about heat, control and the right equipment. A paella cooker is specifically designed to deliver the wide, even heat needed to cook paella properly, making it an essential tool for anyone serious about Spanish cooking. Whether you are preparing paella at home, catering for events or cooking professionally, the right paella cooker makes all the difference. What Is a Paella Cooker? A paella cooker is a gas-powered cooking unit designed to support large, shallow paella pans and distribute heat evenly across the base. Unlike standard hobs or barbecues, paella cookers are built with circular burners that match the shape of the pan. This ensures consistent heat from the centre to the edges, which is crucial for cooking rice evenly and achieving the perfect texture. Paella cookers are commonly used outdoors, making them ideal for garden cooking, parties, festivals and catering events. They are available in vari...
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Large Paella Pans – The Ultimate Guide to Cooking for a Crowd

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When it comes to cooking paella for family gatherings, garden parties or large events, choosing the right equipment is essential. A large paella pan is the heart of any successful paella cook‑up, allowing you to prepare generous portions while achieving the authentic flavour and texture that this famous Spanish dish is known for. At Paella World UK, large paella pans are designed to help both home cooks and professional caterers create impressive meals with confidence. What Is a Large Paella Pan? A large paella pan is typically any pan measuring 60 cm or more in diameter, capable of serving 10 to well over 100 people depending on size and portioning. Unlike standard frying pans, paella pans are wide and shallow, which is crucial for even cooking and proper rice texture. The broad surface area allows the rice to cook evenly and develop the all‑important socarrat – the lightly caramelised layer at the base of the pan that paella lovers crave. Why Choose a Large Paella Pan? Large paella...
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The Ultimate Guide to Paella Cookers: Choose the Perfect One for Authentic Spanish Flavours

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If you’ve ever tasted a perfectly cooked paella - rich saffron rice, juicy seafood, tender chicken, and smoky socarrat - you know it’s more than a dish. It’s a celebration of flavour, culture, and community. But to make paella that rivals those served along the coasts of Valencia or Alicante, you need the right tool : a paella cooker . At Paella World , we’re passionate about bringing authentic Spanish paella to homes and kitchens across the UK. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about paella cookers - from types and features to choosing the right one for your culinary style. What Is a Paella Cooker? A paella cooker is a specialised heat source designed to cook paella evenly and efficiently. Unlike standard kitchen burners, paella cookers distribute heat across the wide, shallow surface of a paella pan - ensuring the rice cooks uniformly and delivers that beloved socarrat , the crispy, caramelised rice layer at the bottom. Whether you’re cooking for tw...
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Catering Paella Sets: The Simple Way to Serve Big, Delicious Events

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When you’re planning food for an event, two things matter most: feeding everyone properly and making the experience memorable. That’s exactly why catering paella sets have become so popular. They’re practical, versatile, and they turn cooking into part of the entertainment. At Paella World UK, our catering paella sets are designed for chefs, caterers, street food traders, event professionals - and anyone who needs to cook delicious food for a crowd. In this guide, we’ll explore what catering paella sets are, how they work, and why they’re such a smart investment for events of all sizes. A catering paella set is a complete cooking system built specifically for cooking paella in larger quantities. Rather than juggling multiple pots and pans, you cook everything in one wide, shallow paella pan that sits on a dedicated gas burner. A typical catering paella set usually includes: a large paella pan (various sizes depending on servings) a powerful gas burner with adjustable rings a s...
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The Heart of Paella: Choosing the Right Rice for Authentic Flavour

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When it comes to creating a truly memorable paella, one ingredient stands above the rest: rice . While many components  from stock to saffron and fresh proteins  contribute to the rich complexity of paella, the rice itself is the foundation that transforms simple ingredients into a dish beloved around the world. But not all rice is created equal. Choosing the right type can make the difference between a mediocre dish and an authentic Spanish paella experience. In this guide, we’ll explore the key characteristics of , the best varieties to use, and how the choice of rice affects flavour, texture, and technique. What Makes Paella Rice Unique? Traditional paella rice must do something special: absorb flavourful broth and seasonings while remaining firm, separate, and perfectly textured in the finished dish. Unlike long‑grain rice  which tends to cook fluffy and separate  is short‑grained and almost round, designed to soak up stock without turning mushy. This ability ...
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Paella Catering / Bringing Authentic Spanish Flavour to Outdoor Events

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 Paella catering has become one of the most popular choices for outdoor events across the UK — and it’s easy to see why. Combining live cooking, vibrant flavours and a true sense of occasion, paella catering offers guests far more than standard event food. Whether it’s a wedding, private party, corporate event or festival, paella creates a memorable centrepiece that brings people together. In this article, we’ll explore why paella catering works so well for outdoor events and how outdoor paella cooking sets play a key role in delivering an authentic experience. Why Paella Catering Is Perfect for Outdoor Events One of the biggest advantages of paella catering is the theatre of live cooking. Large paella pans set over open flames immediately capture attention, creating an engaging focal point for guests. Unlike food prepared out of sight, paella is cooked fresh on-site, allowing guests to see — and smell — the process from start to finish. Paella catering is also extremely versatil...
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