You’re extremely well equipped when you want to throw down a badass paella party. For months after the big bash, your friends and family are still talking about how fun the party was and how amazing the paella tasted. Yes, it was fun and all, and it was wonderful to gather all your loved ones, but admit it: it’s really hard work!
It’s not to say that it’s not worth it. On the contrary, it is totally worth getting all the ingredients, assembling all the equipment, i.e., paella burner, paella pan, spatulas and other needed accessories, and spending a few hours prepping the food then cooking it.
You know that timing is everything and you do your best to get everything done at the absolute right moment. This, of course, adds a little stress to the mix, but hey, a little stress can only make you stronger in the long run.
Because these specific parties are so elaborate, time-consuming and stressful, albeit fun and rewarding, you do not do them very often. Perhaps you get out the equipment twice a year, maybe even only once a year. Heck, some people get it out once every few years.
The lack of use of this equipment might make you wonder why you have it to begin with, but there are other purposes that will get you to kick up the ole paella equipment. Thinking outside the paella pan might put your equipment to good use and be used regularly, making your purchase of it completely worthwhile.
Now, besides making paella with it, what can you do? Here are some ideas:
Say you have several guests staying at your home for a weekor longer and you’d like to make breakfast for them all at once. How about making a gigantic omelette? Saute all the vegetables and meat beforehand in your paella pan, crack your eggs in a separate bowl and set it aside.
When guests start waking up, all that’s left is to start up the paella burner, heat up the pan, add some ghee and lay down the egg portion of the omelette. When the pan is ready to accept the inside pieces of the omelette, throw those in, add some cheese (or not) and in no time, your giant omelette will be ready to slice up for everyone. Try to fill it with a lot of different things so it can be a complete breakfast
Make an enormous pancake in it. Enough said! Use the burner outdoors to cook anything.
Take your burner on a camping trip. Hook it up to a bottle of propane and there you have it: a portable campfire that requires no wood scavenging or matches.
Use it to keep something (anything!) warm at a party. Set it to a very low heat and voila! Warm hors d’oeuvres. Cook sukiyaki or one of any number of other dishes that have not previously been prepared in a paella pan. The sky is the limit will all the uses of paella equipment if you can let your imagination run wild.
