WO2025215640A1

WO2025215640A1 - Appliance with temperature control

Info

Publication number: WO2025215640A1
Application number: PCT/IL2025/050312
Authority: WO
Inventors: Iliya SLAVKIN; Shaked FRANK; Nir PERY
Original assignee: Solo Gelato Ltd
Current assignee: Solo Gelato Ltd
Priority date: 2024-04-11
Filing date: 2025-04-09
Publication date: 2025-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-11
Also published as: IL312095A

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns an appliance for preparing single serves of cooled edible product in particular from single serve capsules, the appliance comprises a capsule receiving port for receiving a capsule that contains ingredients, a cooling and processing chamber, in selective liquid communication with the capsule receiving port, a cooling utility configured to cool the cooling and processing chamber, and a cooled edible product outlet, in liquid communication with said cooling and processing chamber, and being characterized in that the cooling and processing chamber further comprises one or more heating utilities, configured to heat the cooling and processing chamber concomitantly to cooling of said cooling and processing chamber by the cooling utility.

Description

APPLIANCE WITH TEMPERATURE CONTROL

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure concerns an appliance for preparing single serves of cooled edible product. More specifically, the disclosure concerns an appliance for processing single serve capsules into single serve cooled edible product.

BACKGROUND ART

References considered to be relevant as background to the presently disclosed subject matter are listed below:

- PCT patent application publication no. WO2013/121421

- PCT patent application publication no. WO2018/109765

Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the presently disclosed subject matter.

BACKGROUND

Temperature control during operation of cooled edible products preparation appliances has a significant impact on the properties and quality of the cooled edible product, e.g. amount and size of ice crystals, quality of emulsification, viscosity, etc. The majority of household appliances for preparing cooled edible products are not equipped with temperature control means, but are rather based on pre-cooling (e.g. in a domestic freezer) of a mixing bowl, following which the ingredients are introduced into the prefrozen bowl and are mixed therein without applying further cooling means. In such appliances, no temperature control can be obtained during mixing, often resulting in poor quality product. Other appliances are designed for preparation of bulk quantities (i.e. batches of multi-servings each) of cooled edible products - such appliances are typically of larger size (i.e. not for domestic use or of counter-top size) and designed to maintain the mixing chamber at a constant temperature well below the freezing point of the ingredients in order to permit rapid freezing of the bulk quantity.

Appliances, typically counter-top appliances, for preparation of single serve cooled edible products from single serve capsules are known, for example from WO2013/121421 and WO2018/109765. In such appliances, single serve capsules contain ingredients in an amount for the preparation of a single serve of cooled edible product therefrom. The capsule is inserted into the appliance, and the contents thereof is fed into a cooling and processing chamber, in which a rotating impeller introduces air into the ingredient as they cool to thereby produce the cooled edible product. It would be beneficial to provide an arrangement for obtaining high control over the temperature profile in the cooling and processing chamber, for production of high-quality single serves of cooled edible products in such appliances.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure provides a temperature control arrangement that permits controlling the temperature of a cooling and processing chamber of a single-serve cooled edible product preparation appliance that permits obtaining single serves of cooled edible product with optimal properties and texture.

Particular, non-limiting examples of a cooled edible product are ice-cream, gelato, soft-serve ice cream, sorbet, granita, frozen-yogurt, cooled non-frozen whipped products (such as whipped yogurts), shakes, and similar products, which are processed in the manner generally described in PCT patent publications WO 2013/121421 and WO 2015/022678, the relevant portions of which being incorporated herein by reference.

According to a first configurational aspect of this disclosure, there is provided an appliance for preparing single serves of cooled edible products from capsules containing ingredients therefore, the appliance comprises: a capsule receiving port for receiving a capsule that contains ingredients, a cooling and processing chamber, in selective liquid communication with the capsule receiving port, a cooling utility configured to cool the cooling and processing chamber, and a cooled edible product outlet, in liquid communication with said cooling and processing chamber; the appliance being characterized in that the cooling and processing chamber further comprises one or more heating utilities, configured to heat the cooling and processing chamber concomitantly to cooling of said cooling and processing chamber by the cooling utility.

By a second configurational aspect, there is provided an appliance for preparing a cooled edible product from ingredients therefore, the appliance comprising: a cooling and processing chamber configure to receive said ingredients; a cooling utility configured to cool the cooling and processing chamber, and process said ingredients into said cooled edible product; and one or more heating utilities, configured to heat the cooling and processing chamber concomitantly to said cooling by the cooling utility.

In the context of the present disclosure, the action of cooling will refer to reduction of temperature in the cooling and processing chamber to below about 5°C, typically below 2°C, and preferably below 0°C.

The cooling and processing chamber is typically thick-walled, and serving as an efficient heat sink or a thermal bank. While this may assist in reducing the overall energy consumption of the appliance, often the walls of the chamber are overly cooled, causing the ingredients to immediately freeze on the surface of the chamber’s inner wall once introduced into the chamber. Such immediate freezing results in uncontrolled morphology of ice crystals, damaging the texture of the final cooled edible product. In high fat content recipes, such over-cooling may also cause formation of a hard fatty layer onto the inner surface of the chamber and/or rotating dasher, causing not only inhomogeneity in the product, but can also result in instability (or even halting) of the dasher movement.

Further, as the appliance is designed for sequential operation for preparing single servings of cooled edible product from single serve capsules, the appliance is typically maintained in “stand-by” mode between preparation cycles during which the cooling and preparation chamber may be overly cooled. While such overcooling can be somewhat avoided by turning the cooling utility on and off, this method is often insufficiently effective (as passive heating of the chamber is slow due to its relatively high mass), and can significantly shorten the service life of the cooling utility.

Moreover, in order to allow for fast preparation of the single serve, desirably under a minute from introduction of the ingredients into the chamber, the cooling utility is required to provide high cooling efficiency (e.g. by utilizing powerful compressors). While such cooling utility allows for highly efficient cooling of the chamber, it also involves a risk of uncontrolled overcooling during preparation or in between preparation cycles, thereby resulting in a final product having improper or undesired temperature, consistency or texture.

Such problems are resolved in an appliance of this disclosure, in which cooling and heating utilities are operated concomitantly to simultaneously cool and heat and cooling and processing chamber. Operation of heating utilities in parallel to cooling utilities enables obtaining control of the chamber’s temperature at any given point in the preparation cycle and in-between preparation cycles, without requiring significant down time between cycles to stabilize the temperature in the chamber. Such parallel utilization of heating and cooling utilities enables not only better control over the temperature in the chamber during preparation, but also maintaining the chamber at an appropriate temperature during “stand by”, such that the temperature in chamber is suitable for immediate preparation of a next single serve at any given time point.

Further, as different types of cooled edible products and even different types of ingredients’ recipes require heating and cooling, permits obtaining the optimal conditions for each different product to be produced within the chamber with minimal down-time between different operation cycles. For example, a single serve of soft-serve chocolate ice cream can be produced immediately after a single serve of fruit sorbet, two products that require significantly different preparation temperatures, immediately one after the other as the simultaneous operation of the heating and cooling utilities enable brining the chamber to the required preparation temperature almost instantaneously.

The presently disclosed appliance combine cooling and heating arrangement also permits preventing undesired formation of icy or fatty layers on the inner surface of the chamber’s walls and on the dasher or impeller, thereby not only avoiding inhomogeneity in the product, but also reducing the risk of mechanical problems in the chamber. As the performance and energy consumption of cooling utilities is often dependent on environmental conditions, the careful balance of temperature obtained by the arrangement of this disclosure also permits extending the working window of the appliance to operation in different environments.

The arrangement of the present disclosure can also enable improved control over the rheology of the cooling fluid utilized in the appliance - heating the cooling and processing chamber in parallel to cooling prevents overcooling of the cooling fluid, and hence reduces the risk of uncontrolled increase in viscosity of the cooling fluid due to such overcooling. More so, such heating of the cooling and processing chamber, by improving the control over the flow properties of the cooling fluid as it flows through the system, enables minimizing undesired condensation and accumulation of cooling fluid within different parts of the cooling utility.

By providing further means of controlling the temperature of the cooling and processing chamber, i.e. by permitting control over both cooling and heating, increased efficiency of the cooling utility can be obtained, thereby not only contributing to more efficient energy management within the appliance, but also extending the lifetime of the cooling system.

According to some embodiments, the appliance comprises a control utility, configured to operate said cooling utility and said one or more heating utilities depending on one or more properties of said ingredients, said cooled edible product and/or said cooling utility.

The control utility typically comprises a temperature control module, configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities.

According to some embodiments, the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities in parallel, as a function of the temperature profile required to produce said cooled edible product from said ingredients.

According to other embodiments, the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as a function of a power value of a compressor of the cooling utility.

According to some other embodiments, the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as a function the viscosity of the ingredients and/or the cooled edible product. For this purpose, the appliance can include one or more sensors for measuring the viscosity of the cooled edible product during processing in the cooling and processing chamber. Alternatively, or additionally, the viscosity of the ingredients and/or cooled edible product during processing within the chamber can be indirectly assessed by monitoring the resistance to rotation of the rotating dasher in the chamber (or by changes in resistance/electrical consumption to rotation of the dasher by the associated motor). According to further embodiments, the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as a function of the type of the cooled edible product to be produced (e.g. gelato, soft-serve ice-cream, sorbet, whipped drink, etc.).

The appliance can, by some embodiments, comprise one or more temperature sensors, fitted within the chamber and/or embedded in the chamber’s walls, such that the temperature control module controls operation of the heating and cooling utilities as a function of the actual temperature measured in the chamber and the desired temperature according to the recipe of the single serve of cooled edible product to be produced from the ingredients fed into the chamber, e.g. from the capsule.

The heating capacity of the one or more heating utilities can be constant or can be varied during operation thereof by a temperature control module (to be described below) according to a predetermined sequence, or according to one or more indications or measured values.

According to some embodiments, the one or more heating utilities are embedded within walls of the cooling and processing chamber, or disposed within cavities defined within walls of the cooling and processing chamber. According to such embodiments, the one or more heating utilities are electrical heating elements, for example resistive heating elements.

According to some embodiments, the heating utility is a heating fluid circulation unit, that is configured to selectively circulate heated fluid within heated fluid channels formed within the cooling and processing chamber walls. Hence, in such embodiments, the cooling and processing chamber comprises at least one first channel for circulating therethrough a cooling fluid cooled by the cooling utility, and at least one second channel for circulating therethrough a heated fluid heated by heating fluid circulation unit.

According to some embodiments, the heated fluid is introduced into the second channel at a temperature ranging between about 5°C and about 50°C.

By some embodiments, the one or more heating utilities are configured to intermittently heat walls of the cooling and processing chamber during cooling thereof by the cooling utility. Such intermittent heating can be carried out during stand-by mode, during a cooled edible product preparation cycle, in between cycles in a sequence of single serves’ preparation, during maintenance of the appliance, etc. The one or more heating utilities can also be operated during maintenance of the appliance, namely without operation of the cooling utility. For example, during maintenance operations the one or more heating utilities can be used to heat cleaning or sanitizing liquids during cleaning of the chamber, sterilize the chamber, etc. Such heating during maintenance allows obtaining efficient cleaning of the chamber and the moving parts therein (e.g. the mixing impeller) without having to open or disassemble the chamber.

The appliance of this disclosure is designed to prepare single servings of cooled edible product from ingredients. In the first configurational aspect, the ingredients are provided in a capsule, that is sized to contain ingredients in an exact amount to produce the single serve from the entire content of the capsule. A single serve may be, for example, defined according io the acceptable FDA definition as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21). Typically, the capsule contains between about 75 to 500 g, usually of about 100-400 g, and desirably of about 110-250 g of said ingredients.

Preparation of the single serve cooled edible product from the ingredients typically involves mixing the edible ingredients with gas/air to form a voluminous cooled edible product. Depending on the recipe, ingredients and the desired texture, an impeller or mixing pedals in the cooling and processing chamber are rotated at different speeds to introduce the desired amount of air/gas into the ingredients as these are cooled in a controlled manner within the chamber, resulting in increase of volume of the mixture. By some embodiments, the volume of the cooling and processing chamber is at most 2L, e.g. between about 0.2 and 2 liters, more typically between about 0.5 and 1.5 liters.

In the second configurational aspect, the ingredients can be provided packed within a heat-conductive container (e.g. made of metal), and the cooling and processing chamber is configured to removably receive the heat-conductive container. In other words, in the second configurational aspect, the ingredients are not extracted from the heat-conductive container, but rather the entire container is held within the cooling and processing chamber, and the chamber is configured to process the ingredients into said cooled edible product while in the container. For example, in the second configurational aspect, the cooling and processing chamber can comprise a displaceable impeller, that is configured to be introduced into the container while it is held within the cooling and processing chamber, and be rotated within the container to process the ingredients into the cooled edible product. In another arrangement, the container itself comprises one or more mixing means, that are configured to detachably associate with a rotating motor of the appliance once the container is introduced into the cooling and processing chamber. According to permit effective heat transfer, typically the cooling and processing chamber is dimensioned to receive said heat-conductive container, such that external walls of said heat-conductive container contact internal walls of said cooling and processing chamber.

As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the term about is meant to encompass deviation of ±10% from the specifically mentioned value of a parameter, such as temperature, volume, weight, etc.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to include any cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range. The phrases "ranging/ranges between" a first indicate number and a second indicate number and "ranging/ranges from" a first indicate number "to" a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and are meant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all the fractional and integral numerals therebetween.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word comprise, and variations such as comprises and comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any integer or step or group of integers and steps.

Generally it is noted that the term ...at least one... as applied to any component of an appliance of this disclosure should be read to encompass one, two, three, four, or more different occurrences of said component in the appliance of this disclosure.

It is appreciated that certain features of the disclosure, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the disclosure, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig- 1 is a schematic representation of an appliance according to an embodiment of the first configurational aspect of this disclosure.

Fig- 2 is a side view of the cooling and processing chamber of the appliance of Fig. 1, together with the cooling system and feeding system associated therewith.

Fig- 3 is an isolated view of the cooling and processing chamber of Fig. 2, with the front cover removed in order to view internal parts thereof.

Fig. 4 shows the cooling and processing chamber of Fig. 3, viewed from the back side thereof.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Fig. 4, with the dasher removed for ease of viewing.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI- VI in Fig. 4, with the dasher removed for ease of viewing.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII- VII in Fig. 4, with the dasher removed for ease of viewing.

Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of the cooling and processing chamber of an embodiment of the second configurational aspect of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Turning first to Fig. 1, shown is an appliance 10 according to an embodiment of the first configurational aspect of this disclosure. Appliance 10 is configured to receive an ingredients’ container, such as capsule 12 within receiving module 14 formed within appliance 10. A specific example of such an appliance is a cooled edible product appliance, for example for the preparation of ice-cream from the ingredients contained in capsule 12. The appliance 10 typically comprises a cooling and processing chamber 16 (Figs. 2-7) that is in liquid communication with receiving module 12 via inlet 18. The ingredients are introduced into the cooling and processing chamber 16 from the capsule 12 received in module 14, and processed in the cooling and processing chamber 16 into a cooled edible product. The cooled edible product is then dispensed, through outlet 20, ready for user consumption. A specific example of such an appliance is a counter-top appliance for the preparation of cooled edible products, such as those described, for example, in PCT patent applications publication nos. WO2013/121421, WO2015/022678, W02020/053859 and W02020/039439 (the relevant content of which is incorporated herein by reference).

The cooling and processing chamber 16 is associated with a cooling utility 22 (in this case a heat exchanging system) that is configured to circulate and cooled cooling fluid through a channeling arranged defined in the chamber 16, as will be described below, thereby cooling the ingredients fed into the chamber 16 from the capsule 12. As can be seen in Fig. 3, cooling and processing chamber 16 comprises a dasher 24, rotatable by motor 26 for mixing air and/or supplemental ingredients into the ingredients received from the capsule during cooling of the ingredients within the chamber, thereby obtaining the final edible product.

The cooling utility 22 is associated with the cooling and processing chamber 16 via cooling fluid inlet 28 and cooling fluid outlet 30, such that cooling fluid into can be circulated between outlet 30, heat exchanging system 22, inlet 28 and an array of cooling channels 32 (better seen in Figs. 5-6). Cooling channels 32 are defined within the wall 34 of chamber 16, and typically extend parallel to longitudinal axis X of the chamber. Pairs of adjacent channels 32 are linked to one another by linking channel segments 36 that are defined in opposite end portions 38 and 40 of wall 34, in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X.

In case the wall 34 is a solid thick wall, i.e. a continuous mass, the cooling channels 32 can be formed as bores within the wall 34. Alternatively, wall 34 can be constituted by two parallel thin walls (not shown), defining between them a space, in which cooling channels in the form of tubing segments can be contained. As wall 34 is typically made of metal, e.g. aluminum, heat can be absorbed from the ingredients, via the wall and into the cooling fluid circulated in the array of channels, thereby cooling the ingredients to obtain the cooled edible product. Effectively, the wall with the cooling channels formed therein functions as an efficient heat sink or a thermal bank.

As noted above, while this may assist in reducing the overall energy consumption of the appliance, often the walls of the chamber are overly cooled, causing the ingredients to immediately freeze on the surface of the chamber’s inner wall once introduced into the chamber. Such immediate freezing results in uncontrolled morphology of ice crystals, damaging the texture of the final cooled edible product. In high fat content recipes, such over-cooling may also cause formation of a hard fatty layer onto the inner surface of the chamber and/or rotating dasher, causing not only inhomogeneity in the product, but also can result in instability or even halting of the dasher movement. Further, as the appliance is designed for sequential operation for preparing single servings of cooled edible product from single serve capsules, the appliance is typically maintained in “stand-by” mode between preparation cycles during which the cooling and preparation chamber may be overly cooled. While such overcooling can be somewhat avoided by turning the cooling utility on and off, this method is often insufficiently effective (as passive heating of the chamber is slow due to its relatively high mass), and can significantly shorten the service life of the cooling utility.

Moreover, in order to allow for fast preparation of the single serve, typically under a minute from introduction of the ingredients into the chamber, the cooling utility is required to provide high cooling efficiency (e.g. by utilizing powerful compressors). While such cooling utility allows for highly efficient cooling of the chamber, it also involves a risk of uncontrolled overcooling during preparation or in between preparation cycles, thereby resulting in a final product having improper or undesired temperature, consistency or texture.

In order to solve such potential problems, the chamber 16 also includes at least one heating utility 42. In this specific example, three such heating utilities 42 are provided, however it is appreciated that any number of heating utilities can be used, according to the specific requirements from the appliance or the design of the cooling and processing chamber. Heating utilities 42 are designed to operate concomitantly with the cooling utility 22, to simultaneously heat and cool the cooling and processing chamber. The heating utilities 42 are typically electrical heating elements, for example resistive heating elements. The heating capacity of the heating utilities can be constant or can be varied during operation thereof by a temperature control module according to a predetermined sequence or according to one or more indications or measured values.

Operation of heating utilities 42 in parallel to cooling utilities enables obtaining control of the chamber’s temperature at any given point in the preparation cycle and inbetween preparation cycles, without requiring significant down time between cycles to stabilize the temperature in the chamber. Such parallel utilization of heating and cooling utilities enables not only to better control the temperature in the chamber during preparation, but also maintain the chamber at an appropriate temperature during “stand by”, such that the temperature in chamber is suitable for immediate preparation of a next single serve at any given time point.

The heating utilities 42 are embedded within wall 34 of the cooling and processing chamber 16; alternatively, the heating utilities 42 can be disposed within cavities, e.g. longitudinal cavities, defined within wall 34.

Further, as different types of cooled edible products and even different types of ingredients’ recipes require heating and cooling permits obtaining the optimal conditions for each different product to be produced within the chamber with minimal down-time between different operation cycles. For example, a single serve of soft-serve chocolate ice cream can be produced immediately after a single serve of fruit sorbet, two products that require significantly different preparation temperatures, immediately one after the other as the simultaneous operation of the heating and cooling utilities enable brining the chamber to the required preparation temperature almost instantaneously.

The combined action of cooling and heating also permits preventing undesired formation of icy or fatty layers on the inner surface of the chamber’s walls and on the dasher or impeller, thereby not only avoiding inhomogeneity in the product, but also reducing the risk of mechanical problems in the chamber. As the performance and energy consumption of cooling utilities is often dependent on environmental conditions, the careful balance of temperature obtained by the arrangement of this disclosure also permits extending the working window of the appliance to operation in different environments.

The appliance 10 typically comprises a temperature control module (not shown), configured to operate the cooling utility 22 and the heating utilities 42 in parallel, alternatingly, or intermittently, as function of the temperature profile required to produce said cooled edible product from said ingredients. The appliance can also comprise one or more temperature sensors (not shown), such that the temperature control module can control operation of the heating and cooling utilities as a function of the actual temperature measured in the chamber and the desired temperature according to the recipe of the single serve of cooled edible product to be produced from the ingredients fed from the capsule.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a cooling and processing chamber according to an embodiment of the second configurational aspect of the appliance. Cooling and processing chamber 116 is configured for removably receiving a heat-conductive container 112, typically made of metal (e.g. aluminum). Container 112 contains the ingredients required for producing the cooled edible product, typically in an amount for preparing a single serving of the cooled edible product. The container typically has a removable cover or sealing film (not shown), and after its removal, the container is insertable into the cooling and processing chamber, such that external walls 113 of the heat-conductive container 112 are in contact with internal walls 117 of the cooling and processing chamber 116.

An impeller 124 can then be introduced into the container 112, and operated to process the ingredients directly within the container, while the contact of the container with the walls of the cooling and processing chamber permit cooling and heating of its content during the processing of the ingredients into the cooled edible product.

Chamber 116 comprises a plurality of cooling channels 132, typically configured to circulate a cooling fluid through the cooling utility, and at least one heating utility 142. A control module (not shown) is configured to simultaneously operate the cooling and heating utilities depending on one or more properties of the ingredients, said cooled edible product and/or said cooling utility, as discussed hereinabove.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An appliance for preparing single serves of cooled edible products from capsules containing ingredients therefore, the appliance comprising: a capsule receiving port for receiving a capsule that contains ingredients, a cooling and processing chamber, in selective liquid communication with the capsule receiving port, a cooling utility configured to cool the cooling and processing chamber, and a cooled edible product outlet, in liquid communication with said cooling and processing chamber; the appliance being characterized in that the cooling and processing chamber further comprises one or more heating utilities, configured to heat the cooling and processing chamber concomitantly to cooling of said cooling and processing chamber by the cooling utility.

2. The appliance of claim 1, comprising a control utility, configured to operate said cooling utility and said one or more heating utilities depending on one or more properties of said ingredients, said cooled edible product and/or said cooling utility.

3. The appliance of claim 1 or 2, wherein said one or more heating utilities are embedded within walls of the cooling and processing chamber.

4. The appliance of claim 1 or 2, wherein said one or more heating utilities are disposed within cavities defined within walls of the cooling and processing chamber.

5. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one or more heating utilities are electrical heating elements.

6. The appliance of claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating utility is a heating fluid circulation unit.

7. The appliance of claim 6, wherein said cooling and processing chamber comprises at least one first channel for circulating therethrough a cooling fluid cooled by the cooling utility, and at least one second channel for circulating therethrough a heated fluid heated by heating fluid circulation unit.

8. The appliance of claim 6 or 7, wherein said heated fluid is introduced into the second channel at a temperature ranging between about 5°C and about 50°C.

9. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities in parallel, as function of the temperature profile required to produce said cooled edible product from said ingredients.

10. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as function of a power value of a compressor of the cooling utility.

11. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said one or more heating utilities are configured to intermittently heat walls of the cooling and processing chamber during cooling thereof by the cooling utility.

12. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the volume of the cooling and processing chamber is at most about 2 liters.

13. The appliance of claim 12, wherein the volume of the cooling and processing chamber is between about 0.2 liters and about 2 liters.

14. The appliance of any one of claims 1 to 13, configured to receive ingredients in an amount of between about 75 gr and about 500 gr.

15. An appliance for preparing a cooled edible product from ingredients therefore, the appliance comprising: a cooling and processing chamber configure to receive said ingredients, a cooling utility configured to cool the cooling and processing chamber, and process said ingredients into said cooled edible product, and one or more heating utilities, configured to heat the cooling and processing chamber concomitantly to said cooling by the cooling utility, depending on one or more properties of said ingredients, said cooled edible product and/or said cooling utility.

16. The appliance of claim 15, wherein said cooling and processing chamber is configured to removably receive a heat-conductive container that contains said ingredients.

17. The appliance of claim 16, wherein said cooling and processing chamber is dimensioned to receive said heat-conductive container, such that external walls of said heat-conductive container contact internal walls of said cooling and processing chamber.

18. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein said one or more heating utilities are embedded within walls of the cooling and processing chamber.

19. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein said one or more heating utilities are disposed within cavities defined within walls of the cooling and processing chamber.

20. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the heating utility is a heating fluid circulation unit.

21. The appliance of claim 20, wherein said cooling and processing chamber comprises at least one first channel for circulating therethrough a cooling fluid cooled by the cooling utility, and at least one second channel for circulating therethrough a heated fluid heated by heating fluid circulation unit.

22. The appliance of claim 20 or 21, wherein said heated fluid is introduced into the second channel at a temperature ranging between about 5°C and about 50°C.

23. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the one or more heating utilities are electrical heating elements.

24. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 23, further comprising a temperature control module.

25. The appliance of claim 24, wherein the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities in parallel, as function of the temperature profile required to produce said cooled edible product from said ingredients.

26. The appliance of claim 24, wherein the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as function of a power value of a compressor of the cooling utility.

27. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein said one or more heating utilities are configured to intermittently heat walls of the cooling and processing chamber during cooling thereof by the cooling utility.

28. The appliance of any one of claims 15 to 27, wherein the temperature control module is configured to operate the cooling utility and the one or more heating utilities as function of the viscosity of the ingredients and/or the cooled edible product.