NEW AND USEFUL / LYNN SIMROSS : A Few Offbeat Ideas to Please Moms

Oops. It’s almost Mother’s Day. But you still have a little time to shop.

Traditionally, the top-rated gifts for moms include cards, flowers, clothing and jewelry. If you’re looking for something a little different, here are some new products to consider:

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Tempreserve insulated casseroles and bowls will rate a 10 with any cook. The thermal dishes keep food hot or cold for up to four hours. They are reasonably priced and just the ticket for buffets at home or for tailgate parties, picnics and PTA or church suppers. A search of department and kitchen stores turned up nothing else like them.

Just introduced by Aladdin Industries, a Nashville-based maker of other thermal products, the dishes are fully foam insulated and have “snapping” covers to keep the contents from spilling. There is a one-quart bowl (suggested retail $3.99 to $4.99), a two-quart bowl ($4.99 to $5.99) and a server that holds most 9-by-13-inch casserole dishes ($14.99-$16.99). The dish is not included.

Aladdin representatives say that Tempreserve dishes will keep foods cold longer than four hours if dishes are pre-cooled in the refrigerator. A casserole will stay heated four to six hours if placed in the insulated server right from the oven. All models are dishwasher safe and can be heated in a microwave or used to store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Tempreserve dishes are available at Wal-Mart stores and some specialty, housewares and kitchen stores. Expect to see them in other major mass-merchandise stores by June.

If you can’t find Tempreserve dishes in your area, contact Aladdin’s consumer information number, (800) 456-1233.

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“Baby’s Best! The Best Baby (and Toddler) Products to Make a Parent’s Life Easier and More Fun” is a must for expectant mothers or new moms. This 224-page guide to baby products--ranging from furniture and equipment to toys, tapes, books and clothing--will save hours of searching for items for infants to 3-year-olds.

The author is Susan Silver, a Los Angeles organizational expert, writer (“Organized to Be the Best! New Timesaving Ways to Simplify and Improve How You Work”), teacher and mother. Silver says she personally selected the products and has tested most of them with her son, Charlie, now 22 months old.

“I have evaluated the products for quality, durability and safety,” she says. “But you have to be careful when you say ‘safe.’ A product is only as safe as it is designed to be used.”

“Baby’s Best!” includes more than 300 products, with brand names and models, and Silver’s reasons for selecting them, as well as prices and purchasing information. She includes time- and energy-savers, environmentally safe products and a resource chapter that describes her top picks for parenting books, catalogues and other publications.

“Baby’s Best!” ($9.95) is available nationwide at Crown and Super Crown bookstores or may be ordered from Adams-Hall Publishing, P.O. Box 491002, Dept. MD, Los Angeles 90049; phone, (800) 888-4452. Add $3 for shipping and handling.

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“Your Lifetime Health Planner” is a new, comprehensive way to keep valuable medical records in one place for the whole family, including elderly parents.

Designed by three Arizona businesswomen, the sturdy three-ring binder has ample sections in which to record family health history, doctor visits (with spaces to write reason for visit, diagnosis and treatment), critical numbers--such as cholesterol levels, weight and blood pressure--tests and X-rays, medications and medical expenses. A special women’s health section includes pages on which to record dates and results of Pap tests and mammograms.

“We conceived the health planner when we realized that although we kept excellent business records, we didn’t have a simple way of keeping track of health care,” says Susan Giles of Tucson, one of the designers.

“Your Lifetime Health Planner” ($19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling) may be ordered by calling (800) 950-3270 or writing to Your Lifetime Health Planner, 1517 N. Wilmot Road, Suite 327, Tucson, Ariz. 85712. Additional pages are available.

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The California manufacturer of Treasure Candles--named for the charms, semi-precious stones and crystals that emerge as the candles melt--has introduced a rose Treasure Candle for Mother’s Day. It is designer Frances McCaffrey’s first scented Treasure Candle and really does smell like a rose.

The petals are fashioned by hand, and inside the candle are two treasures--a quartz crystal and a sterling silver or gold-plated rose pendant. In white or peach, the candles are packaged in a clear corsage box with a fable.

The Rose Treasure Candle (about $24) is available at Robinsons-May stores and specialty shops, including the Missouri Trader in Hollywood, Brian Jeffrey’s Design on Melrose Avenue, Hampton’s West in Long Beach, American Collectibles in Sherman Oaks and Studio Stems in Burbank. Or you can order from Treasure Candles by calling (800) 688-6358. Add $5 for shipping and handling.

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Since more than half of American mothers work full or part time, they would likely appreciate some help with dinner. The Maverick Complete Meal Steamer can cook a dinner for up to four people in a few minutes, retaining flavors and nutrients.

This one-step steamer includes a rice bowl that holds up to 10 cups, and two large-capacity food trays for poultry, meat, seafood and vegetables. It has an automatic timer and visible water levels--calibrated in minutes, not cups, so cooking time is easily apparent. A recipe book is included.

The Complete Meal Steamer ($69.95) is available at Sears, Montgomery Ward and the Broadway. If you can’t find it in your area, call Maverick Industries Inc. in Edison, N.J., at (800) 526-0954.

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Chronicle Books’ Folding Screen Books are distinctive gifts for a reasonable price. They’re six inches square and have multiple accordion-folding panels that can be displayed on a coffee table, shelf or mantel.

The latest in the folding-book line are two new color works: “Degas’ Dancers,” featuring six of Edgar Degas’ famous paintings of ballet dancers in rehearsal poses, and “The North American Indian,” 20 photographs by Edward S. Curtis.

The Folding Screen Books ($12.95 each) are available at national book chains, Dutton’s Books or Vroman’s in Pasadena. Or they may be ordered from Chronicle Books in San Francisco, (800) 722-6657. Add $2.50 for shipping and handling.