Machika Traditional Carbon Steel Skillet, Genuine Spanish Paella Pan with Dimpled Surface, Versatile Carbon Steel Pan for Global Rice Dishes, 12 inches/4 Servings

I see a lot of reviews complaining about how this pan rusts and discolors after one use. News flash, this property is inherent to carbon steel as this alloy is around 98% iron and 2% carbon - a composition that is not much different from a cast iron and thus the requires very identical care. If you don’t dry and oil it after use, it will inevitably rust. The instructions on the packaging even tell you to coat the pan in oil after use. In addition, the discoloration or burning of the pan is actually a good thing - that is the pan being seasoned. What baffles me however, is that the manufacturer doesn’t mention anything about seasoning the pan. Seeing as this pan is carbon steel, I believe a lot of people are missing out on what could be a 100% non stick pan that will surely outperform its enameled counterpart. I could fry an egg on my paella pan and it might sue me for slipping and falling. I have included my seasoning process at the end of this review. As for cooking, I recommend throwing this pan into a screaming hot Weber charcoal grill and for three reasons: 1) the pan isn’t flat, 2) a good paella requires serious BTU, and 3) charcoal imparts a nice aroma into your dish. You can control the heat by moving the charcoal around or by temporarily removing the pan from the heat. To properly season this pan, in the weber grill: 1) First follow the instructions on the packaging which tells you to boil and wash off the coating that the pan ships with until it is bone dry. This coating prevents the pan from rusting while in storage. 2) Again, heat the pan until bone dry. 3) Remove the pan from the heat. Then using an oven mitt and a paper towel, carefully coat the entire pan with a very thin layer of a high smoke point cooking oil (I prefer canola). Yes this includes the underside of the pan. Remove any excess oil as thick patches of oil will turn into a sticky patch. 4) Return the pan to the heat. After a few seconds you should see vapor being released as the oil polymerizes onto the carbon particles on the pan. If your pan is turning black you are doing it right. 5) Repeat this process 3-5 times. 6) Let the pan cool off 7) Apply one final thin coat of oil and hang the pan for storage. You should only have to season the pan once but it never hurts to re-season from time to time. With that said, this pan is EXTREMELY high maintenance but as with any good cast iron or carbon steel cookware, it all pays off in the end. The more you cook with it, the more layers of seasoning you build and the more non stick your pan will become. Good luck!

This is a great product, to make good food, so you need to ne a good owner too. If you are a mess or don't know how to fry an egg, you better wait for your paella in your next summer vacation in Valencia. Before the first use (not negociable): First thing to do; (1) Boil water in the pan. (2) Wash it with soap as if you just cooked in it. Season your pan: (1) Lightly coat the pan with oil. I used canola. (2) Put in the over at 450° F for about 30 mins, until you see that the olcoat of oil is not shiny anymore. (3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 at least 3 times. The more time the darker your pan will be. I did 3 coats total. (4) Let it cool off in the oven after your last coat. Once cold, oil again and store as much time as you want. When ready to use: (1) Heat your pan for a few minuted before start cooking. (2) Don't scratch with pointy tools. If so, you will have to season again soon. After every use: (1) Clean right after you eat your parlla. Don't let it seat overnight. And wash by hand. Don't scratch too hard, but don't need to be ultradelicate. (2) Once totally dried, spread a thin coat of oil as you did in the last step once coated. Do this every time that you wash your paella pan. The pictures and videos that I am sharing are from August 2025.

I purchased this pan in 2022 but did not use it until 2025 when preparing a New Year’s paella, I was surprised to find that the pan already showed rust and pitting despite never having been used. I had no alternative cookware suitable for the dish, so I proceeded reluctantly. The pan performs poorly on an electric stove: the heat concentrates only in the center, while the outer edges receive minimal warmth, preventing the proteins and rice from cooking evenly. Given these issues, the product has not met reasonable quality expectations.

Well made paella pan, cooks evenly my only complain is that it gets rusted quickly. It must get treated before using or after cooking but no instructions were included with purchase. To avoid rust from surfacing, I treated the pan with butter right after I washed and dry throughly, then I stored the pan in a dry place.

My wife purchased this pan now mind it's a 24" but when she ordered she didn't know it was this big she just saw pan and said yes this is it. Lol now when I got home from work and she showed me this pan I about died. The dang thing didn't even fit on top of stove or even in it. So I contacted the seller and explained issue at hand. I told them she wanted like a 15" not 24". So I was going to do a return and just send the 15" and refund remaining of what was left from difference in cost. Nope they were so dang kind to not only allow us to keep the 24" pan that I'm sure could be used on a camping trip but at no extra charge sent us the 15" and we just received it yesterday 9/9/2022 and this thing is amazing to cook on. Eggs, bacon, sausage whatever you want. Thank you for the generous and most amazing pan. Including the huge one lol. It makes me laugh on how big this pan is. Didn't even know a pan existed. Thank you

I never write reviews but I just had to for this pan. While daunted by the negative reviews for this pan, I figured the 12" pan was less than $20 and it was an decent gamble. I watched several YouTube videos on how to season carbon steel pans. This is a critical step for this pan! I followed the instructions that came with the pan to boil in water (there is a wax coating to protect it). Once that was removed using steel wool, I coated lightly with oil and put into a 500F gas oven! While I lost the cute red on the handles (charred gray now), the pan ended up having a WONDERFUL patina that I've seen at Spanish restaurants with "well loved" paella pans. I made Kenji Lopez-Alt's paella Valenciana... the chicken did not stick at all! I then cleaned the pan right away, using as little soap as possible, placed in a hot oven to complete dry off, wiped with oil, and stored tightly in a brown paper bag. Yes, it's a lot of work but unwrapped maybe a month later to make a pork rib and shrimp paella... meat did not stick at all during the searing process. Awesome soccarrat too! Honestly, take care of this pan and it will take care of you! This great kitchen tool investment was less than $20! More than half the cost of a $50 paella at my favorite Spanish restaurant!

This pan was a gift for my granddaughter and her fiance. When they opened it,they were very pleased. They haven’t used it yet, but are looking forward to cooking some delicious paella!

Looked good out of package, used once and the pan is ruined. Low quality but good for one time use. After cleaning pan rusted and burned through in the center.