ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

ChefSteps

Perfect paella is a thing of beauty. Layers of rich flavors and satisfying textures—moist rice studded with succulent seafood, meat, and fresh vegetables all nestled atop a crispy, crackly, caramelized crust. When executed correctly, that socarrat is hands down the best and most defining part of paella. But achieving that balance isn’t easy—it takes patience, perseverance, a special pan, and even a specialized burner. And sadly, it’s all too easy to end up with burnt bottoms, unevenly cooked rice, or overcooked shellfish. A wide, shallow paella pan maximizes surface area to get that great crust. But the thin steel conducts heat so well that it can cause hot spots, especially if you don’t have a burner big enough to evenly heat the whole pan. Instead of a perfectly caramelized socarrat, you end up scraping burnt rice off the bottom of the pan. While frequent rotation can help prevent this problem, being in the heat conductor’s seat can be an overwhelming undertaking. So we deconstructed paella and developed a modernist cooking method to let every component shine. Focusing on quality over quantity and using a pan you already have on hand, we created a few simple techniques that yield the fluffiest and most flavorful rice, and the crispiest golden-brown crust. Good ingredients and a few extra steps will give you the best paella—whether you want to feed a few or many. The quality is on us. The quantity is up to you.