Cookin', located on Divisadero between Oak and Page, enjoys all the romance of the fabled elephant burial ground, and boasts of as many hidden treasures. None of them seem to be made of ivory, but to be honest, a saltshaker or two may have escaped our scrutiny since the second-hand store is crammed from floor to ceiling with venerable cooking tools.

Cookin' owner Judy Kaminsky scours American estate sales and French Braderies to constantly recreate around her a towering maze of stacked Le Creuset saucier pans, Majolica Oyster plates and crockery of every possible size, color, shape and animal likeness. Far be it for us to say that the tool makes the cook, but who's life wouldn't be greatly improved by a hand cranked Pop Popcorn Popper?

Some may shy away from second-hand cookware but as the French saying goes, "The best soups are made in old pots." Granted, it's a parable about the advantages of going to bed with older women, yet one must admit that a gorgeous well worn copper saucepan would give a chef Boyardee beefaronichef Boyardee beefaroni an impressive air of "je ne sais quoi."

Cookin' can be surprisingly expensive, but it is your best bet to find that heirloom tea-cup a mate (hell, it worked for Tarzan) and when all is said and done, the selection is good enough to make us believe in reincarnation.

Cookin'
339 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415)
861-1854

By SFist Natacha