Abstract: An apparatus for chilling hot-bagged food includes a refrigeration device providing chilled air and an enclosure for containing the chilled air. A fan blows the chilled air in a stream within the enclosure and an open-work support movably holds a bag of hot food within the enclosure and in the path of the stream of chilled air. Thus, movement of the bag of hot food both agitates food within the bag and exposes surfaces of the bag to the stream of chilled air to rapidly cool the hot-bagged food. A method of processing food includes packaging and sealing a quantity of cooked hot food into a plastic bag then placing the plastic bag and hot food in an open-work basket movably mounted on a support.

Abstract: The waste water from an ice cube making machine, both from the cube unit itself and from the bin where the ice cubes are stored is supplied to an insulated heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is divided into two sections with a first cold input section being separated from the remaining portion of the unit by a baffle to avoid undue mixing of the water, and to maintain the water at the input section at a low temperature, near freezing. A heat exchange coil is located in the first section of the heat exchanger and water to be formed into ice is precooled by circulation through this coil. Additional coils are located in the remaining portion of the heat exchanger to further cool refrigerant liquid which has been condensed and is under pressure ready for return to the ice-making units. The temperature in the input section of the heat exchanger is in the order of 34 degrees F.

Abstract: A special unitary heat exchange unit for safely heating potable water from the waste heat of a number of refrigeration units is formed of a large diameter pipe perhaps 4 to 10 inches in diameter and perhaps 6 to 20 feet in length to extend along a refrigeration rack. The water to be heated is passed through the length of the heat exchanger, which is essentially a cylindrical tank enclosing a number of small double walled coils each constituting a heat exchanger through which freon or other similar refrigeration gas is passed for cooling. The double walled coils include the inner tube which carries freon, and an intermediate buffer zone in which a non-poisonous heat transfer liquid is located.