High Style at California Gift Show : Kitchenware: A 20-quart ice cream freezer, a lasagna pan and a pressure cooker are some of the more noteworthy items .

Culinary showrooms at the L.A. Mart welcomed buyers with new kitchen and table-top products during the recent 110th California Gift Show. As far as presenting something really new and different, the manufacturers’ representatives didn’t unveil anything as dramatically unusual as the Japanese bread-making machine introduced two years ago. However, many of the items displayed offered function and high style mixed with durability. Here are some noteworthy examples of interesting kitchenware. (Next week’s article will feature table-top accessories.)

A 20-quart ice cream freezer promises to be the fun solution around warm-weather party time to please homemade ice cream fans. Leo Neeleman, vice president of Kitchen Concepts, presented the monster ice-cream maker along with its normal smaller versions. Built by one of the first companies to construct wooden tub freezers, the huge hand-crank model from White Mountain Freezer Inc. carries a nostalgic old-fashioned appeal yet projects a modern approach with its bright teal tub color and electrical mode capability.

Recognized for its patented triple motion ice cream freezer with a three-gear drive, White Mountain has been building quality wood tub freezers since 1853, around the time when the first ice cream makers were invented.

The perfect lasagna pan has finally arrived, says Kitchen Concepts’ Carolyn Teninty, who brought out the new Chef’s Design Lasagna Pan Plus ($55 with cooking rack, $50 without rack). Manufactured by Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Inc., the professional weight black pan is made of hand cast aluminum with a wide lip on each end that acts as a handle.

What makes it perfect? The pan size, 12x10 inches with three-inch depth, is unusually deep to avoid those common lasagna spills and large enough to save trimming the long, wide pasta. The sturdy baking pan also features non-stick surface for easy clean-up.

Joining the revived pressure cooker arena is the Efficient Pressure Cooker from Bra USA Inc., also represented by Kitchen Concepts. Made in Spain, the sleek 18/10 grade stainless steel cooker offers even heating with its triple-layer diffusing base and safety features that protect against handling errors.

An upscale new Barbecue Tool Set from Carlo Giannini ($80) was shown by Tom Bryckner, who represents the Italian kitchen tool company. Packaged in a long carrying case, the finely finished tool set consists of a fork, a spatula and a pair of tongs. A long barbecue brush is available separately for $25.

Bryckner also recommended the Rialto Infuser by Italian designer Sambinelli, introduced by Carlo Giannini last year. Made of stainless steel and borosilicate glass, the French press or infuser not only works well for coffee but is great for herbal infusions and teas. Other interesting pieces from Giannini are the new espresso demitasse set ($35) with a thermal feature to keep that cup of espresso steaming hot and the beautifully designed stainless steel Rialto teapot ($90).

Cookware Specialists of Los Angeles offered a collection of attractive looking 18/8-grade Stainless Steel Kitchenware from Sitlax Ltd. Presented by showroom owner Darrel Stone, the high-polished Sitlax steel group included airtight canister sets, colander sets, a cocktail shaker, Champagne bucket, vases, oil dispenser, trays and charger plates.

Representing Alessi, Niel Sheffield, vice president of marketing at Gallant-Friedman Showroom, brought out some daring spring-to-summer products from the Italian firm, adding them to its collection of highly successful architecturally designed home accessories. One futuristic gadget is the Starck Juicer ($75), which takes a little bit of pondering to identify. The single juicer, which resembles a Space-Age knight standing on three long slender legs, is the brainchild of French post-modern architect Philippe Starck.

Made of polished aluminum, the reamer is shaped like a twisted cone so that when citrus is squeezed on its rounded top, the juice runs along the streaks of the spiral, flowing into the glass placed under the juicer. “It really works,” Sheffield said, “I tested orange after orange to prove that the juice really flows directly into a glass.”

Another dramatic design by the same architect is the monolithic Philippe Starck Water Kettle ($125). A one-piece construction, the aluminum teapot consists of a large cone-shaped body pierced at the top by a slimmer slate blue cone, which serves as the handle and spout.

Would you pay $300 for a colander? No, it’s not silver- or gold-plated or copper. But that didn’t stop buyers from choosing this product. The Starck Colander from Alessi is made of finely crafted stainless steel but stands tall and elegant on three shining brass feet. Of different sizes, the holes have a distinctive pattern that make this colander unique. An upscale item, it deserves to be handled as a decorative fruit bowl or a rare plant holder.

In another culinary showroom, Marjorie Duncan expressed high hopes for the Chill-n-Go nylon picnic packs from Go Lightly Manufacturing Co. ($19.95 for a small snack pack to $56.95 for a gourmet pack). These food and beverage picnic bags are sturdy, comfortable to carry and lightweight. Another high point is that each is fitted with an easy-closure compartment containing a reusable chill-pack, which can be removed and frozen until ready to use. The frozen pack maintains cold temperature of beverages up to seven hours. For quantity orders, the bags may also be custom printed with your company logo or event. Another item is the Chill-n-It (from $13.95), a light table-top cooler that keeps Champagne cool at the table for up to two hours.

Duncan also recommended a new barbecue or chef apron that’s made of machine-washable leather. Flame retardant like the original mitt products, the apron is manufactured by American Leather Products ($78.95) and designed by Sandra Asbell. Duncan said she got excellent response from buyers, the majority of whom ordered black aprons. The other colors were rust, mink and gray.

One product that has received a number of rave reviews from buyers, according to Darrel Stone of Cookware Specialists, is Halves Inc.’s Wine Preserve ($39.95). It displaces oxygen, the enemy of opened wine which leaches out flavors and aromatics in unconsumed bottles. Wine Preserve is a simple cartridge system that squirts nitrogen into the surface of the wine. Non-toxic and flavorless, the protective blanket of nitrogen prevents deterioration of wine up to 30 days after applying.

One nitrogen cartridge will treat approximately 20 bottles of wine, including Ports and Sherries. In addition to preserving wine, the system also works effectively for specialty oils and vinegars, exotic teas and coffees.