The name “PAELLA” is Spanish and refers to the large round pan this dish is cooked in. Typically, this has been a cast iron pan, with a raised lip, not unlike our cast iron “skillets”. The secret is in seasoning the cast iron so that food doesn’t stick when the pan is used. Seasoning can be done in two ways. After the new pan is thoroughly washed and scrubbed to remove any hint of the oil used during its manufacturing, the pan is placed in an oven at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit to dry it thoroughly. This will take about an hour. “Seasoning” a cast iron pan fills the porous metal surface with a slippery film akin to a polymer made from cooking oil that makes the surface virtually ‘stick-free’. Better than any commercial “non-stick” surface, the pan will cook very healthy food by not requiring a lot of cooking oil, and clean up with very little effort.
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What Every Chef Should Know About Preparing the Paella Pico Dish