Thanks all for the advice. I will try it again tomorrow (because cooking a full Thanksgiving meal wasn't enough!) and I know the words of wisdom will help. I think the biggest mistake I made was not steeping the saffron in the stock, and if I recall correctly, I added the stock COLD! to the paella pan. Looking back I can see why it seemed like I had to cook it forever.

Pierino, I usually always agree with you but I just made Rabbit on the Range Paella and it baked happily in the oven. Saffron does have to be steeped or pan roasted. There are 2 excellent saffron cookbooks out there, one by Pat Willard, the author of the other one slips my mind. Saffron is a magical ingredient and well worth mastering. I made the first paella with Basmati rice because that's what I had around the house and with the second and third paellas got Bomba rice. Sagegreen's sage advice and very good advice. I got the crust and the melty consistency with the Bomba rice. Also be brave and cook it at the end almost til it burns to make the crust.

The saffron (and a generous amount) should go into the stock before adding or you will never get the right color and flavor. I'm an old hand at paella. Add the stock all at once in proportion to the rice---and be sure to use short grained rice. Resist the temptation to stir. Make sure the flame below is hot enough too. And don't cook it in the oven. My own recipe was up in the competition and you can find more detailed instruction under "The Sun Also Rises..."

I would say that it is better to have a pale, good tasting paella, than a deep yellow, rubbery tasting paella. As long as it tasted good then I think you did no wrong. When a dish has too much saffron it can taste rubbery and quite unpalatable. To your undercooked rice, next time that happens, try turning off the burner and covering the paella pan. This way it will mildly steam and hopefully cook the rest of the way through.