An appliance for producing frozen food products, such as ice cream or slush drinks, includes a cooling cylinder connected in a refrigeration circuit, the cooling cylinder including a thermally-conductive cylinder wall and end cap closing the distal end of the cylinder wall, the cylinder wall and end cap separating refrigerant on one side from product to be frozen on the other side. A divider member disposed adjacent the cylinder wall forms contiguous evaporator compartments spaced apart axially. Restrictor passages in the divider member permit communication between contiguous compartments and refrigerant first enters the first-cooled evaporator compartment at one of the axial ends and flows in series between the evaporator compartments. For fast, efficient freezing of small batches, the product to be frozen is either driven by the auger, or drains, toward the first-cooled evaporator compartment.

A machine for making liquid or semi-liquid food products with a plurality of deformable feeding containers, each feeding container connected to a processing chamber for processing the base mixture and including a stirrer and a thermal treatment device for the base mixture, operating in conjunction with one another to convert the base mixture into a liquid or semi-liquid product. The operative connection of each feeding container to the processing chamber to transfer the base mixture from the feeding container to the processing chamber is made by a network of withdrawing ducts through an interposed pneumatically actuated valve which can be activated and deactivated independently of the remaining valves and which includes a valve body with an inlet duct and an outlet duct, and with a shutter acting to selectively interrupt or allow the connection between the inlet duct and the outlet duct.

A method for making ice cream, including preparing a machine for mixing and cooling ice cream equipped: with a processing container defining a processing chamber and provided with a mixer rotating inside the processing chamber; and a thermal treatment plant, configured for being activated, selectively and alternatively, in heating or cooling mode, respectively, for heating and cooling the processing chamber. The method further includes: inserting inside the processing chamber a basic mixture; heating the basic mixture inside the processing chamber, so as to subject the basic mixture to a pasteurization treatment; cooling the basic mixture inside the processing chamber and, at the same time, rotating the rotary mixer, to incorporate air in the basic mixture and make ice cream; extracting the ice cream from the processing chamber.

The freezer enclosure is maintained at a temperature equal to or less than the freezing point of the beverage. Gears, rotatably mounted on a shelf, include sets of aligned interconnected gears and gears connecting the gears in the sets. A drive gear is mounted to and moveable with the shaft of a motor. The drive gear is connected to one of the gears in one of the sets to drive the gears in each set. A coaster-shaped member is moveable with the gears and supports a bottle which contains the beverage. The bottle is locked to the member such that it rotates with the member. The motor continuously rotates the bottle to agitate the beverage to keep the beverage from freezing. Internal baffles in the bottle increase the agitation resulting from the rotation.

A machine for making liquid and/or semi-liquid products of the ice cream sector comprises: a processing container forming a processing chamber for making an ice cream product; a stirrer mounted inside the processing chamber; a cooling system equipped with at least one heat exchanger associated with the processing container, for exchanging heat with the container and cooling the processing container; a unit for receiving and treating a capsule containing a basic preparation for an ice cream product, configured to allow the capsule to be compressed in such a way so as to deform lateral walls of the capsule and to squeeze the basic preparation out of the capsule and transfer it to the processing container.

A connector for connecting a deformable bag for liquid or semi-liquid products to a machine for distributing the product and includes a body with an opening passing therethrough and acting as a product outlet and connected to the machine, with a thermal sensor supported so as to be positioned inside the bag, in contact with the liquid or semi-liquid product. The sensor is fixed in a second opening that is parallel or almost parallel to the product transit opening and a connecting cable comes out of the end of the body intended to remain outside the bag. The assembly formed by the bag and the connector and the machine for distributing a liquid or semi-liquid food product supplied with the bag equipped with the connector.

A clean in place assembly for a soft serve ice cream dispenser includes an ice cream dispenser. A clean in place system having a water tank including a heater disposed therein is attached to the ice cream dispenser. A control interface is disposed on the tank. The control interface is connected to operating circuitry of the ice cream dispenser. A nozzle of the ice cream dispenser is formed of a conductive metal material and includes a notch formed therein circumferentially about a portion of the nozzle and includes radiused surfaces that extend to portions of the nozzle that house O-rings.

A cold drink apparatus, system, and method of operation for producing a chilled or partially frozen beverage product, often referred to as a slush beverage or granita beverage. The apparatus includes a chilling structure and some form of blade or auger that moves relative to the chilling structure to strip product off and circulate the beverage along the chilling structure. The apparatus further includes a heating structure and heating operation to heat to at least partially thaw the product so that it returns to a generally liquid or solution state. Such heating operation reduces downtime for permitting for machine maintenance and/or permitting the sugar or solution within the product to be redistributed and refrozen to maintain desired qualities and consistency of the product.

A frozen confection dispensing apparatus includes a refrigeration system. A variable frequency drive is connected to the refrigeration system. A beater motor is connected to the variable frequency drive. The variable frequency drive calculates the beater motor torque and regulates the refrigeration system activation. The variable frequency drive varies a speed and/or torque of the beater motor regulating a size of ice crystals and overrun of a frozen confection product.

A self-contained food processor is provided for treating a food flow path in the food processor with a solution. The food flow path can be treated without requiring disassembly and reassembly of the food processor and without requiring direct operator input. The food processor includes a controller for directing passage of a solution through at least portions of the food flow path without requiring constant operator oversight. The food processor can employ available positive pressure water supply, such as public utility water pressure to selectively and automatically push solutions, including rinses, backwards or forwards through the food flow path in the food processor.