Can I use a huge paella pan on a normal sized electric cooker?

[ColinFirthsGirth]

Hi everyone,

I've done a daft thing! Amazon were selling paella pans in their black friday sale. I have always wanted to make paella and I got carried away and purchased it without really registering just how large a 46cm pan is!

I have a normal sized electric hob. Is there anyway I can use this with the pan or have I got no chance? I think returning it would cost alot of money.

How does anyone manage to to use these huge pans with normal cookers?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Could you cook it outside with a gas burner? I have used them indoors before but you won't get a very even heat if it spreads across the whole of the cooker.

I saw that pan, so wanted it but just thought too big for my cooker :(

If the pan is thick aluminium you might be OK with it as it would distribute the heat very evenly. Otherwise, can you lay it across several rings and have them all on? Short of that, I think you will be standing there stirring for hours.

I have one of these big pans and it isn't great on the hob as the heat doesn't distribute as evenly as I'd like to cook the rice. Instead I cook the veg, chicken and chorizo on the hob, add the rice and stock and bake in the oven until the rice is cooked, adding any seafood towards the end. That seems to work fairly well.