Types of fire for paella

What makes a paella truly delicious, is it the ingredients, the technique, the love that the cook puts into each grain of rice? Truly, there are many reasons and variables, but if there is one thing that many paellero masters can agree on, it is that the type of fire used to cook can also alter and improve the flavor of our dish.

From the fact that the wood used in a wood fire gives a special taste to our rice, to the efficiency and control of the gas burners, without going beyond the convenience of induction fires, each fire helps to realize our paella in one form or another.

In this blog post we are going to take a look at each type of fire that we can use to make our paella and how it affects its preparation, its advantages and disadvantages.

Where do paella fires originate from?

First of all, let's see how paella fires have evolved over the centuries.

In its origins, paella was usually prepared over a wood fire, commonly with orange or pine wood, this was because, similar to the humble origin of paella, connected through its ingredients to the land where it originated, it was He used what was at hand in the field with the help of everyone, it was this same spirit that originated this delicious dish that brings together friends, family or even communities to cook and taste this dish around a shared fire.

With the passage of time came innovation in many culinary fields, and paella was no exception thanks to the invention of the gas burner, whose main objective, beyond comfort and control of the flame, is to achieve perfect rice cooking.

Nowadays, induction or ceramic hobs have also emerged, which are little by little gaining more traction as an alternative to paella hobs, suitable as long as we plan to make a smaller paella.

Why is it important to use an adequate fire in a paella?

The success and flavor of a paella not only lies in its ingredients or the cook's technique, it also lies in the cooking of the rice and this is where the fire we use takes its role as the protagonist.

A uniform fire is crucial to cook our rice evenly, which not only guarantees the perfect fusion of flavors, but also the texture and flavor of our paella.

We also cannot forget that the fire is important to obtain the always coveted socarrat, the correct and homogeneous distribution of the heat of the fire is essential to obtain this crispy layer at the bottom of our paella pan.

It is due to this set of reasons that we have to ensure that the fire we use can be easily controlled, that it is uniform over the paella pan and that it maintains the appropriate temperature at all times.

We didn't ask for much, right? Don't worry, right now we'll explain how to get all these features and more.

Types of fire for paella

As we can see, the paella pan fire is much more important than it seems at first glance, since it can affect multiple characteristics of our paella dish, such as its texture, flavor or socarrat. It is for this reason that in this next section we are going to observe the different types of fire for paella, their differences and particularities that separate them, in order to see how they influence the preparation of our rice.

Wood fires

The most classic and traditional way of preparing our paella, highly appreciated for its ability to give our rice a unique smoky flavor that is difficult to replicate with other types of fires.

These types of fires are usually difficult to control and maintain a constant intensity. In addition, they suffer greater difficulties due to storms, since the wind or rain can reduce or bend the uniformity of the flame, affecting the cooking of our paella in the process. This type of fire requires a trivet with which to support the paella on the fire, but this equipment is usually easy to transport and use.

Even with its added difficulties, many cooks and rice cooks find that the benefits of this smoky flavor justify the extra effort required to use this type of fire.

Paella gas burners / Gas burners

Also known as gas burners, rings, roscos, lighters and many more synonyms, burners have been built and designed with the specific objective of offering a fire that distributes heat evenly. They adapt to the diameter of the paella and can be found in a wide range of sizes, they can also use butane/propane gas or natural gas.

The main advantages of this type of paella fire is its precision and consistency in the temperature and power that it offers to our paella, in addition to being easy to use and can adapt to multiple sizes of paella pan.

There are three different models:

Round tube paella gas burner

The classic and traditional par excellence, the fire outlet points vertically, which means that it has direct contact with the surface of the paella.

Flat tube paella burner

Also referred to as a high-power paella burner, it has around 20% more power than the traditional burner. Additionally, its fire outlet points towards the sides, which guarantees greater heat distribution over the lower surface of the paella.

Professional paella burner for indoor use

This burner has a safety thermocouple system, which, when it cools suddenly, as could happen in the event of a gas leak, automatically shuts off the gas, avoiding accidents. It is thanks to this security system that it is the only paellero that can be used both outdoors and indoors.

Along with these characteristics, their exit holes point in a 45-degree direction, forming a zigzag, which makes them more difficult to plug, ensuring in the process a more powerful and constant fire.

Electric fire / induction fire

Electric or glass-ceramic fires are a practical alternative in case we do not have the space or place to use wood or gas fires. They are easier to control and use, but they require an induction paella for correct use and the appropriate size compared to its base. If not, the fire may not reach the necessary intensity to cook our paella correctly.

How to select the appropriate size of your paellero equipment

Now that we take into account the different paella fires, we must know how to choose the correct size for our equipment.

To select the correct size of paella pan, you can use our size chart to know at a glance which burner is correct for you.

As for the trebedes for wood fires, we attach this table where you can find the most common sizes and the paellas that you can use with them:

Finally, we have the induction paella pans. As a general rule, the appropriate paella pan for your induction hobs is one that is the same size as your ceramic hob. Even so, you have a size margin of 3 cm in your paella pan, so it can be 3 cm larger or smaller than the circle or surface of your induction hob.

General advice and questions

Make sure you use the correct equipment

When you are going to make your paella you must make sure that you use the appropriate equipment for your fires, not only must you use the correct size of trebedes or paella pan, but you must use the appropriate regulator for your paella pan. To know which regulator your paellero needs, you can use our guide "What is the right gas regulator for my paellero?"

Use accessories and complements for your paella fires

In the kitchen there are all kinds of accessories and they are not only limited to knives, spoons or paddles, you also have essential gas accessories if you are going to make your paellas with burners or wood fires:

Gas regulators and hoses

Essential accessories for your burner to provide you with the firepower you are looking for, they are necessary not only for the safe operation of your paella pan but also for it to do so efficiently. Make sure that your gas hose is of high quality and resistant to twisting, the regulator of your paellero must be correct for its size and possible power.

Trivet

Essential if we want to make our fires with wood, choose the correct size, leave your paella on the fire and watch how your paella is prepared in the most classic and traditional way.

Universal windbreak

An essential accessory if you intend to cook paella outdoors, this set of metal plates protects your fire from the winds and your paella from the grit and dust that the air can raise. Easy to transport and use, it also allows us to create a stove effect that allows us to use less gas than necessary to make our paella.

Correctly install your gas regulator

Although using a burner does not require a doctorate, it is essential to install the gas regulator correctly, since if we do it incorrectly, we run the risk of leaks or poisoning. You can visit our tutorials to find multiple practical videos and texts where we explain how to install the gas regulator on your burner.

Maintenance and accident prevention

As the saying goes "Better safe than sorry", always remember to keep your paella fire equipment in the best possible condition.

After each use, before cleaning your burner or trebeds, let it cool completely and then clean it with a damp cloth to remove any grease and food residue that may have stuck to its surface.

Remember to check the condition of your hose and gas connections for possible signs of wear or damage. If you find any, replace it immediately before using your burner again.

Finally, remember to store your paella pan in a dry and covered place to avoid corrosion and prolong the useful life of your paella equipment.

We hope that all this information will be useful to you in choosing and using your paella fire. If you are looking for more information and want to see more tutorials, visit more sections of our blog.