NEW GADGETS FOR TEA LOVERS : ALSO AT THE SHOW.

Byline: Renee Enna Chicago Tribune 

Tea, anyone? Starbucks, Gloria Jean's and Seattle's Best notwithstanding, a great deal of attention was focused on that very traditional brew at the 100th International Housewares Show held recently at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Also sharing an inordinate amount of space among the 70,000 products at the show, presented by the National Housewares Manufacturers Association, were sleeker but more powerful microwave ovens and several variations on bread machines.

The products at the show may not be in stores now, but are scheduled to appear sometime in the year ahead.

Tea was brewing at many of the booths. The Chef's Choice line from EdgeCraft Corp. covered all the bases with three tea-related products. TeaMate steams loose or bagged tea before steeping and, like most electric tea makers, lets users control the strength. It costs about $120. The Deluxe Cordless Electric Teakettle, with separate power base/warming plate, also costs about $120. The International Cordless Electric Hot Pot, also with a separate base, automatically shuts off when the water boils. It costs about $80.

``Tea is growing within and outside the coffee (boom),'' said Priscilla Tuminello, manager of marketing communications for EdgeCraft. ``You're also seeing the growth of tea rooms.''

Cuisinart got into the act with its Perfect Tea Steeper, an electric tea maker with an 8-cup capacity that costs about $60. ``There's been a huge resurgence in tea,'' said Mary Rodgers, marketing communications manager for Cuisinart. ``Last year alone, tea consumption increased 10 percent.''

Mr. Coffee, which popularized the trend with its Mrs. Tea several years ago, presented a more compact line extension - Mrs. Tea for Two, which brews three cups, for about $30.

Chantal Cookware resurrected the 2 1/2-quart Serv-a-Tea tea kettle and Small Glass Warming Stand as part of its Cook & Serve line. It costs about $120. The product was dropped about five years ago, but tea's growing popularity compelled the company to reintroduce the product.

But there was no shortage of coffee makers and espresso makers, either. Krups' Novo4000 Programatic espresso/cappuccino machine offers more options (one or two cups, short or tall, with flavor controls). It costs about $300.

For die-hard coffee aficionados, the compact Larosta home coffee roaster from Unisar lets you roast several cups of green coffee beans in about 10 minutes. (You order the beans from Larosta or buy them at gourmet shops.) It costs about $150.

Many of the Housewares Show products are designed to make life in the kitchen easier - or, more specifically, to make life in a small kitchen easier.

That was the case with many new models of microwave ovens. The ovens had more power with no increase in the cabinet size, and other new models can be mounted under a cabinet. Most offered more features in the ``help'' button, with readouts that tell cooks how to prepare whatever food they want (potatoes, bacon, frozen dinners) - some in three languages, no less. The new ``custom recipe'' button on GoldStar's larger microwaves can be preprogrammed for favorite recipes. GoldStar also put a recessed turntable into its 1997 models. And Samsung has a new model with a turntable that automatically rises (to four different levels), depending on which food is being cooked.

But some things will probably never change: That ``popcorn'' button is as prominent as ever.

Bread machines also took up a big chunk of space at the show, with features to take the guesswork out of cooking. Related products were capitalizing on the machines' popularity. Regal introduced a mill that grinds rice, soybeans, rye berries and other grains; it costs about $50. And Fiskars' Kitchen Devils adjustable knife was targeted to bread makers with whole loaves to slice; its detachable guide can cut slices up to 3/4-inch thick.

Sanyo introduced a Cord-Free collection of small appliances: food chopper/processor, hand blender, salt and pepper mill, cheese grater and can opener. A battery pack, with its own charger base, fits into any of the five products. The items are sold in groups of two or more with the battery pack and base. They start at $90.

Like misters in supermarket produce sections, the Mist'r Crisp'r from Hydro-Crisper Inc. does the same job - but in a refrigerator's crisper drawer. Every few hours, it emits a spray of water on fruits and vegetables. The product runs on four AA batteries and holds a 10-day supply of water. It costs about $30.

Wearever Air's CushionAire Pro With Cooling Feet bakeware line is designed to eliminate the need for trivets and cooling racks. The bottoms of three casserole dishes and an assortment of baking pans and cookie sheets have cooling tabs; cooks can take the product directly from the oven to almost any surface, including plastic laminate and wood, without burning it. Prices are $18 to $36.

The Clear Classics Intellivent System of bowls (in four sizes) from Rubbermaid can go from the freezer directly to the microwave for reheating. A vent is built into the lid. Price are $5 to $9 per bowl.

Proctor-Silex's SmartToast ($22) and Sunbeam's Toast-Logic ($30-$40) have built-in sensors that not only control the cooking inside the toaster, but also regulate any changes in voltage when other appliances are used. Sunbeam's version also has a viewing window.

Hamilton Beach's five-speed hand mixer now has a clear plastic splash guard that snaps on. It costs about $40.

Scotch-Brite scrub sponges from 3M will have the same antibacterial protection that the company's O-Cel-O sponges acquired last year. The price tag will remain at about 85 cents. The products kill salmonella, E. coli and other bacteria through hundreds of uses.

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Photo: Tea-related products were a hot topic at the 100th International Housewares Show in Chicago.

Chicago Tribune