Cookin' in Brooklyn: Lorimer Street Style

When we arrived at Brooklyn Kitchen, a nearly 3-month-old cookware shop in Williamsburg, one of the proprietors, Taylor Erkkinen, was offering free advice to a guy who needed help getting the rust off his cast iron skillet. After removing the rust, the key tip was to re-season the pan. “I recommend making lots of bacon,” Taylor said. “I always recommend making lots of bacon.” Her husband, Harry Rosenblum, looked up from the blueprint-like sheet he was studying and nodded enthusiastically. “Bacon will definitely do the trick,” he added. A few months ago, Taylor left her job in construction management to open the shop, but Harry held on to his freelance lighting design work — hence the layouts he was working on at the store.

The well-stocked shop has all the pots, pans, and kitchen gadgets a home cook could hope for — plus a selection of locally made aprons, fine teas, and antique stoneware and Pyrex. But it’s more than a shop — it’s also a hang-out. During our visit, several neighbors stopped by, including an older fellow from the hardware store down the street, who arrived with a bag of “Cupped Coca-Cola Cakes” he’d baked for Taylor and Harry… except he didn’t have Coke, so they were made with Pepsi and root beer. The little chocolate mousse-like treats were baked in plastic cups, which Taylor worried may not have been oven-safe. Luckily, their pal won’t have to travel too far to find some cupcake trays for his next creation.

After the jump, get a tour of the store — and check out the Brooklyn Kitchen website for information about upcoming cooking demonstrations and classes. If you’re in the neighborhood tonight, there’s doing a BYOB Superbowl food demonstration — complete with meat on sticks, pigs in blankets, dips, and stuffed mushrooms.

The Valentine’s Day display

Just out of the box — these DIY kits have yet to be tested

Some well-stocked shelves

New and gently used vintage stoneware pots

A dreamy tea selection