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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.

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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.

SourDoh
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  • Is there a pan you cannot cook rice in? :-) – SAJ14SAJ Sep 26 '13 at 20:51
  • @SAJ14SAJ a grill pan, maybe? I'm sure someone's done it... – SourDoh Sep 26 '13 at 21:00
  • @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
  • @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
  • @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
  • @sourd'oh Is it possible to do in a stainless steel pan without burning or having the food stick to the pan? – MarkE Feb 01 '14 at 03:42
  • @MarkE It's possible, but with paella, there should be a layer of slightly burned rice at the bottom. It's known as socarrat, and it's the best part of paella! – SourDoh Feb 01 '14 at 11:01