The Epicurean Cyclist

I can guarantee that this is the only bicycle touring website so far that has reviewed a paella pan. I can’t take the credit for the idea though, as I picked up this useful bit of tour-ware from my friend Chris. Many many moons ago he toured through Spain and picked up a few paella pans and saw their utility while touring. He would usually take a 30cm pan when on tour and it would be just the right size for he and two other touring buddies.

Aside from making paella, in the last month I’ve used the paella pan for making various other rice based creations as well as frying bacon, scrambling eggs, heating up tortillas and making a stir-fry. It really is a bit of useful kit.

Most paella pans don’t come with a lid. In Spain, so Chris tells me, he found a paella lid maker who creates lightweight aluminum lids for paella pans. Alas, I’ve had no luck finding one in Southern California. In lieu of handmade aluminum lid, we’ve found that a large enamelware camp plate just about covers a 30cm paella pan perfectly (and nests into the paella pan when packed away). The bulge from the plate even provides a little more cooking room.

The downside of this technique is that the enamelware plate gets hot. It’s easy enough to pry the lid with a knife and carefully remove it with a gloved hand, but after cooking a lot with the pan it got sort of cumbersome.

To turn the enamelware plate into a better functioning lid, I bought a strong-ish round magnet with a hole in it and tied a loop of hemp. The magnet snaps on the plate and I can use the hemp string as a bailing wire. When it’s time to eat, I just slide the magnet off and can use the plate as a plate again. No need to drill holes or braze on a little handle.

I’ve yet to do extensive tests on the magnetic bailing wire, but I don’t foresee any problems. I don’t think magnets lose their properties in heat and if the hemp brakes, I could replace it with a thicker string or a brake cable.