to keep someone in the kitchen with Dinah

“There’s one thing about writing a cookbook,” Dinah Shore confided. “You’ll gain weight!”

While researching the original recipes for her best seller, “The Dinah Shore Cook Book,” Shore also added to her list of great cook shops in and around Southern California.

That’s why her kitchen has a highly professional ambiance. The copper cookware from France, which hangs from a rack over her professional Wolf range, is not for weaklings. Heavier than some, its even heating helps to ensure good results. It was the result of shopping at Williams-Sonoma.

Shore feels every recipe can be enhanced by the pot or pan that is used. “My souffle turns out great,” she frankly confided, “when cooked in a white porcelain souffle dish.” (This was found while browsing at Montana Mercantile.) A favorite Buccellati lemon peeler, ideal for making lemon twists, was purchased at Geary’s, a coffee grinder at Faire La Cuisine in Malibu.

“Researching the recipes for the book,” she said, “almost cost me some dear friends. I’d invite Glenn Ford, Angie Dickinson and the Kirk Douglases over for dinner, have them test three soups, four salads and six desserts. They’d give their opinion, and the winning recipes went into my cookbook.”

After a few of these dinners, she learned Ford was leaving town, Kirk Douglas had to read a script, so, finally, Angie Dickinson confessed: “We love you Dinah, but we can’t eat that much!”

Shore has discovered a treasure chest of cook stores where she can buy the ideal whisk, the great pasta maker, the perfect au gratin potato pan.

“I’m an ideal customer,” she confided, “I always buy three of everything, one for each kitchen.” (Shore has homes in Beverly Hills, Malibu and Palm Springs.)

“When I go into the Alan Ladd Hardware Store in Palm Springs, intending to buy a strainer, and walk out with seven other purchases, multiplied by three, it looks like Christmas!” she admitted.

The following is a sampling of cook stores featuring unusual items that help turn your favorite recipe into a work of art. It’s not complete: detection and discovery will inspire you to make your own list.

Esprit de Cuisine--143 W. California St., Pasadena. (818) 793-8855. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. This store has a country flair nestled in the Orangewood Shopping Center in Pasadena. It features B.I.A. Cordon Bleu Cookware and Calphalon Professional Cookware. Some items, created for professionals and now available to the at-home chef, are either on display or can be specially ordered. The store has a wide range of gadgets, such as a battery-operated mini-mixer and a French bean slicer, and also sells gift baskets of specialty food items. Gift wrapping is complimentary.

Faire la Cuisine--3835 Cross Creek Road, Malibu. (213) 456-1635. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Features a variety of cookware, including an extensive bake section--from ravioli pans to ladyfinger pans. Known for unique gadgets. A special wood section features slotted wooden spoons, spreaders and pasta forks. Dinah Shore’s coffee grinder-maker was a discovery from this store, which also features a delicatessen.

Geary’s--351 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. (213) 273-4741. Open Monday 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Noted for oven-to-table cookware and Royal Worcester china in Evesham pattern. Casseroles, souffles, platters and lasagna dishes are stocked. A sterling silver Buccellati lemon peeler, an ideal way to make lemon twists, is one of the unusual items they feature.

Kitchen Things Inc.--3429 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (714) 673-3444. Open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. This is the first store of the chain, and has been in Corona del Mar 10 years. It has more than 10,000 items in stock, from butcher-block tables to imported copper pots and pans. It also features a variety of accessories, from ginger graters to lemon reamers to mushroom decorators. Outlets also in Mission Viejo, Tustin and Irvine.

Alan Ladd Hardware Store--500 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. (619) 325-2165. Open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. This is a must for “browsing and buying.” Have you ever used a zucchini corer or a vegetable decorator? Also, check out the battery-operated sifter. A complete line of European cookware (porcelain on steel) is available, as well as French cookware--from sauce to souffle pans.

Lawry’s Gift, Wine and Gourmet Shops--570 W. Avenue 26, Los Angeles. (213) 224-6800. Open seven days a week, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. (May through October, open Monday-Saturday until 10 p.m., Sundays until 9 p.m.) Located at Lawry’s California Center, store features a large collection of gadgets, towels, cookbooks and aprons. You’ll find everything from cast-iron skillets like grandma had to onion goggles (so you won’t cry when peeling onions or garlic) and a teakettle that whistles in three notes. Interesting collection of Oriental cookware, vegetable steamers and sushi kits also showcased.

Le Kookery--13624 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. (818) 995-0568. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Known for its quaint, country-like charm and knowledgeable staff, this store features conventional and unique items--a dough riser (a helpful shortcut for bread makers) and the famous Susi garlic press, plus walls of gadgets from lemon reamers to mushroom brushes. Store also features a cooking school, with such well-known guest chefs as Giuliano Bugialli and Bert Greene sharing their professional expertise.

Montana Mercantile--1500 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (213) 451-1418. Open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Full culinary center, specializing in European cookware. A favorite item is the traditional French souffle dish, high-quality white porcelain, which goes from oven to table. (Shore purchased just such a souffle dish from this store.) Offers cooking school and classes to 30,000 on mailing list.

Village Cupboard--122 N. Larchmont, Los Angeles. (213) 463-1421. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. This quaint store is located at the south end of Larchmont Village. A popular gadget here is the Swedish meatball maker, which comes in two sizes. It makes meatballs fast and is less messy than a spoon (or your fingers). Another “best seller” is the hard-boiled egg sectioner. The store carries a line of SchlemmerTopf clay pots, which features a lightly glazed bottom, making cleaning much easier.

Williams-Sonoma--131 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles (Beverly Center). (213) 652-9117. Open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6 p.m. Features copper cookware from France, from sauce and omelet pans to stock pots in heavy or light gauge. (Dinah Shore bought most of her copper at Williams-Sonoma.) Apilco porcelain is also available, plus a wide range of quality items like sectional cake pans and mushroom kits. Stores also in Woodland Hills, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Costa Mesa and San Diego.