Now We're Cookin'

No visit by any serious foodie to San Francisco would be complete without visting one small, tucked away store simply called Cookin'.

Cookin is a "recycled gourmet appurtenances" shop on Divisadero in the lower Haight that is owned and operated by a Ms. J Kaminsky.

Walking into Cookin' makes you feel like a bull walking into a china shop since the store is stacked floor to ceiling with used kitchen appliances, doo-dads, pots, pans, plates, and practically about any cooking "appurtenance" you can imagine. Obviously, navigating through the store isn't easy, but Kaminsky makes it easier by organizing each category of cookware into it's own separate section. Nevertheless, that cookware section could include hundreds of cookie cutters merging into 20 various meat grinders merging into dozens of earthenware, etc.




Cookin' is the place you come to find that thingamabob your grandmother once had but was lost or stolen or swiped by that greedy cousin of yours. Though we forgot to ask, I bet she even has a few aebleskiver pans. The cool thing is that, if you ask Kaminsky if she has something, she'll know and she'll point it out to you; an impressive feat of memory since the store has thousands upon thousands of used cookware, large and small, sometimes buried underneath each other.

Not to be disrespectful, but Kaminsky is kind of like the Fred Sanford of used cookware. She can, no doubt, tell you a story behind each piece she has in the store. Of course, the trip to Cookin' wouldn't be complete without striking up a conversation with her. The first thing you might hear from her is "hello", as you're walking into the store. You may wonder at first who said it since, as she can hear you walk in, you can't see her from the pots and pans and other kitchen gadgetry.




That happened last Saturday when we paid her a visit. Walking a few more feet into the store, I see her sitting behind her desk reading what appears to be a mystery paperback. Her eyes are glued to the book, but her ears can hear every word of your conversation.

When I asked how long the store has been around, she replies "a long time". When asked how many items she thinks she has, she says "too many". When I ask her if I can take a few pictures of her store, she says "ok, but it'll be too dark to take a good one", and then she asks where I'm from. Telling her I was from San Francisco only brought on a look of consternation. When I tell her that I also take pictures of my food, she seems to write it all up to "he must be another kooky local".




A trip to Cookin' is like a trip to a museum. You can literally spend hours sorting through the cups, the cast-iron cookware, and the books. Aftwards, you'll probably have cookware fatigue. The stuff she sells isn't cheap, but the prices seem fair. And if you're wondering if she sells over the Internet, forget about it. Just entering the "SKU" numbers alone would take months of work using dozens of voluteers.

No, you'll just have to go there yourself. And if you do, have a list ready and a hefty chunk of change, because you certainly will want to spend it.

So, what did I buy?

How about this...




Kaminsky says, "so what are you going to do with this?"

I say, "A rice mold. Probably a seafood risotto, individual portions."

Subtlely, she seems impressed.

Brownie points!



Cookin'
Recycled Gourmet Appurtenances
339 Divisadero
415-861-1854

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