A Guide to the Best of Southern California : DESIGN : Something’s in the Kitchen With Di

EVER WONDER WHO, besides Princess Di and Paul McCartney, can afford a $9,500 stove? Well, if you think you might, you may as well get your money’s worth and go for one that bakes, boils, broils, steams, fries, stews, roasts, simmers, grills and toasts--simultaneously: the legendary British AGA (Amalgamated Gas Accumulator) Cooker, a cast-iron, hand-enameled work of art that never sleeps. The stove’s four large ovens and two hot plates are stoked to their optimum temperatures; once there, the stove stays on constantly.

If you’ve read this far, it may be time to see one up close and take the risk of being smitten. You’ll find a blue one just like Di’s (it also comes in red, green, black, white, brown and ivory) in situ , at Smallbone Showroom; or you can all AGA’s U.S. agent and ask for its full-color brochure and accompanying 20-minute how-to videotape.

The AGA Cooker is available through Smallbone English Kitchens, 315 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 550-7299. Or telephone AGA Cookers, (800) 633-9200.