Paella should be cooked in a paellera…period. 
We can try to go around it and try to cook it in a different type of pan but after you start
“constructing” the paella, you don’t want to stir or move the ingredients. The paellera provides you with a perfect way to properly cook all the ingredients, distributing the heat evenly to the entire pan.
I recommend you purchase either a carbon or stainless steel paellera. I prefer the carbon steel…the old “steel pans” have the tendency to retain the flavors of the previously cooked paellas and provided you with the perfect “socarrat”, “raspa” -the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan. It is harder to clean but oh well, I like the nostalgic feeling.
Any other type of pan, such as stainless steel, just looks great and is easier to clean. However, this is not a beauty pageant…we are cooking paella.
I am confident that, after following my steps, you will cook great paella. For this reason,…think big….get yourself a 20” minimum paellera.
Tip – Never, ever,…cover the paellera while cooking.
Heat Source.
There are three heat sources you can use to cook your paella. The fire pit, the gas furnace, or tripod circular burners.
The fire pit – Paella is intended to be cooked and eaten outdoors. The fire pit can be as rudimentary as three rocks or an ornamental iron to provide support for your paellera and as heat source, you can use orange tree branches or any type of aromatic wood. As long as you are able to maintain an even flow of heat to the entire bottom surface of your paellera, you will be okay. It is imperative that you sustain the heat evenly throughout the entire process to properly cook your paella. A BBQ grill can be used, as long as you are able to control the heat.
Gas furnace – I have cooked paellas on gas furnaces in a gourmet kitchen. That’s what Tim has in his outdoor kitchen. I use a minimum of three burners, creating a triangular heat source. You still need to be careful. The heat source is not evenly distributed. You need to ensure that you maximized the area covering the bottom of the pan.
Circular Burners – This is the most convenient way to cook a paella. A two ring burner
provides you with an even heat source to the entire pan, allowing you to control the flames. I normally set the burner on a table, placing a brick under each of the supports and two or three bricks or non-flammable material under the burner, to protect the table.
You must ensure that the supports (see picture on right) are properly leveled, providing you with an even cooking surface.
You can also purchase legs or extensions that connect to the supports, allowing you to cook basically anywhere.
Paella 101 
