An agitator assembly for mixing a product in a container is provided. The agitator assembly may include an arm member having a distal end and an opposite proximal end. An agitator head may be disposed proximal to the distal end of the shaft. The agitator head may include a rigid material for mixing viscous products. The agitator head may include movement formations. The movement formations may include a swept-blend, knife-like protrusions, and diamond-like shapes.

A mixing vessel for a frozen drink maker is described. The mixing vessel includes a curved sidewall defining a substantially cylindrical vessel chamber therein. The vessel chamber includes a front, a rear, a right side, a left side, and a top. The mixing vessel also includes at least one internal baffle configured to control slush flow within the vessel chamber. The at least one internal baffle may be a corner baffle positioned at the front top of the vessel chamber on either the right side or the left side, a side baffle extending laterally along the vessel chamber from the front to the rear, and/or a front baffle positioned at the front of the vessel chamber extending across the top from the right side to the left side.

A mixing vessel for a frozen drink maker is described. The mixing vessel includes at least one curved sidewall defining a vessel chamber that is at least partly cylindrical configured to receive a drink product to be processed. The vessel chamber includes a front, a rear, a right side, a left side, a top, and a bottom, and the vessel chamber includes at least one asymmetric wall portion proximate to at least one of the front or the top of the vessel chamber. The at least one asymmetric wall portion is configured to promote slush flow within the vessel chamber.

An ice cream making assembly includes a mixing bowl having an outer housing and an inner liner defining a wall cavity therebetween. The mixing bowl further includes a radiator fin unit received within a portion of the wall cavity and a phase-change medium filling a further portion of the wall cavity surrounding at least a portion of the radiator fin unit. The radiator fin unit defines an outer chamfer extending generally along an outer cross-sectional profile of the wall cavity and a tapered inner profile extending along inner cross-sectional profile of the wall cavity and in at least partial contact with the inner liner. The assembly further includes a dasher including first and second mixing arms extending outwardly from an anchor end of the axle and upwardly and outwardly to generally follow an angled inner profile of the food-product receiving cavity defined by the liner.

An ingredient blending system for food and beverage applications incorporates a manifold body with a blending chamber, ingredient inlet ports, egress ports, and ingress ports to facilitate ratiometric mixing of multiple ingredients. The system employs a pump connected to an egress port to create suction, eliminating the need for positive pressure pumps at the inlet. Valve caps maintain selected ports in a permanently open state, enabling fluid communication for continuous flow, while electronic valves provide selective control. The system supports dynamic ingredient flow control, with configurations allowing pressure sensors to monitor ingredient flow or be replaced by sensor caps for simplicity. The blending chamber achieves precise mixing ratios based on port dimensions and supports diverse ingredient types, such as liquids and gases. Designed for scalability, the system enables efficient cleaning and maintenance, making it suitable for high-demand environments like frozen beverage or soft-serve ice cream equipment.

A frozen product machine that solves problems associated with conventional home ice cream and frozen product machines by prevents loss of product in the chamber and decreases freezing time for a liquid product. A cooling chamber is cooled by a cooling element that provides variable cooling temperatures throughout the cooling chamber. A temperature gradient, progressing from lower temperatures at the bottom of the chamber, or the outlet, to higher at the top of the chamber, or inlet, create a more efficient means of cooling a frozen product. An auger, that may be shaped to match the shape of the cooling chamber may include slots that allow for controlled flow of frozen product through the chamber to promote efficient cooling. Hinged fins may rotate from open to closed within the slot to further enhance flow of frozen product through the frozen product machine.

A method of operating a blender having a rotatable cutting blade in a food preparation chamber includes providing a sensing light assembly, generating at least one sensing light beam below the food preparation chamber, inserting a cup containing food to be blended into the food preparation chamber, generating an error signal if a foreign object crosses the sensing light beam, and preventing or stopping rotation of the cutting blade in response to the error signal.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods are disclosed for eliminating or greatly reducing the cleaning process of frozen confection apparatus or machines by having the comestible mixture contained in a flexible container or bag. The comestible mixture is chilled and/or frozen and dispensed from the bag without contacting other parts of the machine, thereby helping to prevent the comestible mixture from being contaminated with bacterial, viral, chemical, or physical contaminants.

An ingredient blending system for food and beverage applications incorporates a manifold body with a blending chamber, ingredient inlet ports, egress ports, and ingress ports to facilitate ratiometric mixing of multiple ingredients. The system employs a pump connected to an egress port to create suction, eliminating the need for positive pressure pumps at the inlet. Valve caps maintain selected ports in a permanently open state, enabling fluid communication for continuous flow, while electronic valves provide selective control. The system supports dynamic ingredient flow control, with configurations allowing pressure sensors to monitor ingredient flow or be replaced by sensor caps for simplicity. The blending chamber achieves precise mixing ratios based on port dimensions and supports diverse ingredient types, such as liquids and gases. Designed for scalability, the system enables efficient cleaning and maintenance, making it suitable for high-demand environments like frozen beverage or soft-serve ice cream equipment.

A carbonated beverage apparatus includes a freezing cylinder for receiving a mixture, and a stirring pusher disposed inside the freezing cylinder for pushing and mixing the mixture from an inlet of the freezing cylinder to an outlet thereof in a spiral manner, wherein the mixture is removed from the inner wall of the freezing cylinder radially back into a center portion of the freezing cylinder by the stirring pusher.