Garcima 18-inch Carbon Steel Paella Pan, 46cm

Please realize that some reviews complaining about rust and color do not understand this type of cookware. If you use this on a stove top, you shouldn't. If you use this on a wood fire or a burner, as you should, it will darken over time. Sorry, but exposing high carbon metal to direct flame will discolored it, and that's ok. Also, if you take care of it by oiling it after use, as is traditional with this sort of cookware, you should not see significant rust. If you leave it sit in your sink with water, and/or don't oil it after use, it will probably rust. The heat distribution of this pan is amazing, you can put it in an uneven heat source and it will disperse heat evenly.

Purchased an 18" pan. Used this pan for the first time and was not disappointed. Used an online seafood paella recipe from Rick Bayless (Mexico one plate at a time) site. The pan performed perfectly through all of the steps required for browning, steaming, etc. The pan does not come with a lid and my use of the pan utilized a home made lid that I had fashioned. Steaming was required for the seafood and I was not sure this would be possible without a lid. We found the pan was stiff, even when we had it overloaded with food. There was no worry of it twisting or deflecting and spilling the contents.The pan is an untreated carbon steel pan so mild rust, as described in the description does occur if you do not wash it right away. I can see where this might bother some who would be willing to opt for a stainless pan at considerable more money. However, the rust cleans off easily as the information describes. I heated and lightly oiled my pan after washing like one would do for cast iron.I would recommend this pan. It performs many times better than the price suggests, especially considering a lid, from a different vendor, was actually more expensive.

So I found this 18” listed as “Used” and decided to go for it at $20 and Free Next day shipping and here she is with a simple dimple ding but a true Chef knows that doesn’t matter so we fired her up in the kitchen since it was a down pour outside and Baam!A 17 year old Miss Texas Contestant prepared a fabulous meal. No regrets in my purchase. None of these pans are “perfect” if you’ve read the reviews but if you truly enjoy cooking you work around the Cons such as pan warping and the butter running to the middle etc. A Paella pan makes a mess, is high maintenance but makes a delicious meal and is a good time for all! I’m off to purchase the lid now. Family fun and time to bond.

This review is for the 18" paella pan sold by La Paella. The seller has since changed since I received my pan so pay attention to who the seller is if you decide to buy this pan since YMMV.This is my second paella and the first time with this pan. I was able to fit 4.5 cups of rice with a lot of meat and broth which is the upper limit of what it can handle. As you can see in the picture, the pan is made by Garcima in Spain and the top rim outer edge to edge diameter is exactly 18 3/8 inches. The label says 46 centimeters but measures 46.5 cm. The other 2 pictures show my first paella in a 20" pan over a fire pit and the second paella using this 18" pan (with red handles) on a gas ring.I rate this pan 5 stars because it is an authentic pan from Spain and the best deal with Amazon Prime shipping included.

When I got the 18 inch paella pan, I was impressed to see it actually being quite thick. However after using it a few times while strictly following the instruction, the pan became wrapped badly and it is hard to use it now as it is wobbling on the stove. Another big headache with this one is that the food became black after staying in the pan for about 1 to 2 hours. Not sure what kind of chemical causes this and not sure whether there should be a health concern.

EXCELENTE CALIDAD

This pan is fantastic. Nothing like cooking paella and serving it right on the table (with a little sangria of course!). This pan is well made, and because it is made in Spain you know it is the genuine article. The 18 inch made 6-8 serves of paella. It is pretty big though, so we cooked it on the grill to ensure an even heat across the base. Worked perfectly. For a standard kitchen hotplate consider the 14 or 16 inch version.

This is a HUGE pan. It’s well made and was large enough for a full family paella that I prepared on my gas grill. The meal was a success and the pan was nice and seasoned after the first use. Definitely worth the price.