PURPOSE: To make automatic start and stop of quick chilling of foods, and to ensure satisfactory finishing for the chilling.

CONSTITUTION: While the upper limit and the lower limit are provided respectively to the upper side and the lower side of set temperatures, a control circuit 3 is provided so that operation of a cooler 5 can be started at the temperature of the upper limit and stopped at the temperature of the lower limit, based on the temperature in the storage outputted from a sensor 1. In the case where the temperature in the storage rises after operation of the cooler 5 is started at the temperature of the upper limit, the control circuit 3 lowers both the upper and the lower limits, and controls the operation of the cooler 5 at the temperatures between the lowered upper and the lower limits. In the case where the temperature in the storage falls, following the start of the operation of the cooler 5, the upper limit and the lower limit of the temperature are set back to the initial state.