What side features does Wikipedia say the traditional paella pan has?

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Wikipedia says the traditional paella pan has two side handles.

A paella pan is wide, shallow and generally made from polished or coated steel. Its broad cooking surface helps rice spread into a relatively thin layer, which promotes even cooking and allows liquid to reduce across the pan rather than concentrating in a deep pot.

The handles are positioned on opposite sides so the pan can be lifted, carried and maneuvered over an open fire. This design is different from a typical frying pan, which usually has one long handle, and from covered casserole cookware, which relies on a lid and deeper walls.

The word paella comes from the Valencian and Catalan word for a frying pan; the dish took its name from the vessel in which it was cooked. In some Spanish-speaking regions, paellera is used for the pan, while paella refers specifically to the rice dish. Traditional cooks also value the pan’s shallow shape because it helps form socarrat, the browned rice layer at the bottom.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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