Abstract: A device for cooling material chunks or grains, especially material consisting of multiple components, which are subsequently fed to a device for crushing said material, preferably on a selective basis. An example is electronic waste material intended for recycling. According to the invention, the material is placed into a cooling tank in a discontinuous manner and in separate portions. In at least part of the cooling tank, the material is cooled by means of a liquefied gas having a low boiling point and then removed from the cooling tank in a discontinuous manner. The invention notably allows for the targeted setting of the optimal temperature for the selective crushing of the material in question while at the same time optimizing the required quantities of cooling gas and energy and minimizing both manual labor and processing time.