What is Socarrat?
Well-designed paella pans, such as those with Professional Steel, encourage the formation of a light crust of rice on the bottom of the pan. In Spanish this is known as Socarrat which means lightly toasted. This is the most prized part of a Spanish paella and can only be achieved with a paella pan. The secret is to increase the heat during the last 3 minutes or so of cooking. If you listen carefully the rice will begin to crackle slightly. Take the paella off the heat when this happens in case it begins to burn. The objective is to get toasted rice on the base (which has a nutty aroma) rather than burnt rice.
A good test to see if Soccarrat has been formed properly is to insert a fork into the rice. If you feel a slight resistance just before the fork reaches the base of the pan then a layer of Soccrrat exists.
So, as you can see above, Socarrat is quite important for a tasty, delicious Paella. But what material is best for a paella pan to produce the Socarrat?
In order to produce the most delicious paella it is important that the pan should not retain heat and steel is the ideal material for this. When the paella is cooked the major source of heat is concentrated on the base of the pan and the rice at the base. This rice cooks first. When the paella is taken off the heat and rested, the pan should lose the heat at the base very quickly which will then allow the rice in the middle and top to cook out evenly.
Are there other suitable materials for paella pans?
Non-stick pans and especially thick cast iron pans should be avoided. Thick pans loose heat very slowly and don’t make good paella pans. Non-stick pans also are not ideal because they don’t allow the rice to stick to the bottom and for Socarrat to form. Stainless steel or copper pans are reasonably good because, if well designed, they transmit heat evenly. They also require little maintenance because they don’t rust, ideal if you only cook a few paellas each year.
However, in order for stainless steel pan to be well designed to create delicious paella it needs to be of a tri-ply construction; if it isn’t then the heat conduction will be very poor. But yet the price for a 34cm or 38cm paella pan with a try-ply construction would be very high (copper paella pans are also very expensive) – and for an item, such as a paella pan, which won’t be used on a daily basis this may not be considered a worthwhile purchase for most consumers. Strictly speaking, heavy and expensive copper or stainless-steel pans are actually better suited to braising than to making paella.
Professional Steel for delicious, tasty Socarrat
Perfect paella is all about the rice: tender and al dente (never mushy), with a caramelized crust called a Socarrat. Professional Steel is an excellent material for a paella pan, because it allows rice to stick to the bottom and for Socarrat to form.
Product Features
- Modelled and designed according to the classic paella pans discovered in the tavernitas of Spain
- Thick, 2.0mm gauge steel construction facilitates even heating over the entire cooking surface.
- Large flat interior allows juices to circulate with foods for rich flavor
- The pan’s sloped sides make it easier to stir ingredients
- Suitable for all cooking top surfaces, including induction
- Sizes: 30cm, 34cm, 38cm
