Cast Iron Technique/protocol...

Hello Chowsers,

I'm looking for a little feedback on cast iron cooking technique. I have a De Buyer cast iron pan
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...

that has been generally awesome since I bought it a few years ago. But something that has confused me for a while is the concept of using cast iron pans to do cooking other than searing.

I would like to try cooking paella in the near future. I acknowledge that the appropriate thing to do would be to purchase a respectable paella pan. But I've read that good cast irons will work just as well if set on top of a grill for even heating.

My issue has been with cooking any types of liquids in the pan. I think I've tried it a few times and invariably end up with a mettalic taste. Deglazing my cast iron is something I basically never do for fear of producing a metallic tasting sauce.

My pan is thoroughly seasoned and I only scrub out with dry salt to clean.

If I attempt a paella in my cast iron, my fear is that any acid, i.e. lemon or white wine (not sure ww constitutes an acid) will create poor results.

Is my fear unfounded? Should I proceed with paella in the cast iron? Or should I go forth and get a paella pan?

Is a paella pan simply a specially shaped cast iron?

These are my questions.

Thanks for any feedback.

Best regards!