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Since my previous Riley was quite successful, here's another one:

The prefix allows you to eat what is old.
The suffix will make you think it is cold.
The infix is metal, as chemists should know.
Together they are controlling the flow.

I think it's time for a hint:

The prefix sometimes is made of the infix.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Few possibilities - crevice, interstice, orifice... $\endgroup$
    – Mea Culpa Nay
    May 1, 2018 at 7:45
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ But these don't fit the first and last clues. $\endgroup$
    – jsm
    May 1, 2018 at 10:12
  • $\begingroup$ Feedback: I'm stumped. Good one. $\endgroup$
    – FreezePhoenix
    May 1, 2018 at 11:51

2 Answers 2

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I think the answer is

Canalise

The prefix allows you to eat what is old.

Can - a container for storing food over long periods

The suffix will make you think it is cold.

Ise sounds like Ice

The infix is metal, as chemists should know.

Al is the chemical symbol for aluminium

Together they are controlling the flow.

To Canalise means "to direct the flow of"

Hint

Cans are usually made of aluminium

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice work, but I dont like the ising -> Icing part if that is indeed what OP was referring to. Icing to me is a type of topping for a cake $\endgroup$
    – Master Yoda
    May 1, 2018 at 15:27
  • $\begingroup$ Actually I meant the infinitive form (“-ise” instead of “-ising”), but that's a detail, so I declare it solved. $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    May 1, 2018 at 15:27
  • $\begingroup$ Ah okay, that makes more sense actually. Don't know why I jumped there. $\endgroup$
    – hexomino
    May 1, 2018 at 15:28
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I think the answer is

Faucet

(- tough one to come up with coming from europe where we call them taps)

The prefix allows you to eat what is old.

Thaw out frozen food... sounds like Fau

The suffix will make you think it is cold.

cet.... maybe like set - when a jam or jelly is made (fruit preserve) it should 'set' when it is cold (it has cooled down).

The infix is metal, as chemists should know.

Ce - atomic symbol for Cerium, one of the Actinide metals if I remember correctly.

Alternatively, the middle of the word sounds like 'ore' which is a mineral containing a metal.

Alternatively, Au = gold.

Together they are controlling the flow.

A Faucet (or tap) controls the flow of water from a pipe - or other liquid, or gas...

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  • $\begingroup$ Actually that's the first time I encountered the word you suggest as solution — which should already tell you that it is not the word I was after. :-) $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    May 1, 2018 at 15:12
  • $\begingroup$ @celtschk ... oh rats... thanks for rapid comment $\endgroup$
    – tom
    May 1, 2018 at 15:13
  • $\begingroup$ sorry but it’s spelled “faucet”. Fawcett is a surname $\endgroup$
    – ferret
    May 1, 2018 at 15:19
  • $\begingroup$ @ferret: Ah, in that form I've actually seen it before :-) But it's still not the solution. $\endgroup$
    – celtschk
    May 1, 2018 at 15:21
  • $\begingroup$ @ferret - thanks ... I was thinking it could be gold in the middle - Au.., but of course the whole thing is not correct... $\endgroup$
    – tom
    May 1, 2018 at 15:30

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