Stirring unit, machine comprising the stirring unit and method for making liquid or semi-liquid food products

A method for making liquid or semi-liquid products in a machine, comprising:

• providing:
• a machine for making and dispensing liquid or semi-liquid food products,
• comprising:
• a stirring unit, comprising:
• a first base element configured to rotate about a first axis of rotation and including a plurality of first mixing vanes, which define, in rotation, a substantially cylindrical operating surface, and a plurality of scraping appendages, which are connectable to the first mixing vanes;
• a first actuator including at least one motor, connected to the first base element to set the first base element in rotation about the first axis of rotation,
• a processing container forming a processing chamber in which a base product is processed,
• a second base element, configured to rotate about a second axis of rotation and including a second mixing vane;
• the first base element and the second base element being mounted inside the processing container;
• a second actuator also including the at least one motor, connected to the second base element to set the second actuator in rotation about the second axis of rotation,
• the first base element and the second base element being configured to rotate about the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation, respectively, independently of each other and the first actuator and the second actuator being configured to be activated independently of each other;
• the second base element including a substantially cylindrical element including an axially facing base face, the second mixing vane being disposed to axially protrude from the base face;
• a thermal system, comprising at least a first heat exchanger operatively coupled to the processing container;
• a dispenser adapted to allow extracting a base product or a finished product from the processing container;
• and further comprising the following steps simultaneously:
• setting the first base element in rotation in a first rotation direction;
• setting the second base element in rotation to apply an additional pushing action on the base product being processed inside the processing container;
• turning on the thermal system to exchange heat with the base product inside the processing container through the first heat exchanger.