Choosing a Flake Ice Machine
A flake ice machine can help businesses display their products, like seafood or produce, in ways that entice customers. This unique type of ice is soft and can keep cold foods in their best condition for longer than other types of ice. It’s also ideal for use in beverage displays or drink tubs because it allows bottles and cans to stay upright.
Choosing the right ice maker involves understanding what you’re trying to accomplish and how often you’ll need it at full capacity. That’s why we asked a team of at-home testers to try out 15 different machines over the course of three months. They evaluated the ice each produced and assessed special features like design elements and adjustability.
The winning model was the Time for Treats Avalanche Electric Snow Cone Maker VKP 1100. This machine was able to produce large quantities of high-quality, flaked ice, enough to serve an entire house. It was able to make nine cubes per minute and is relatively quiet for an ice machine. It also has a handy drain for water and an LED panel for operation.
Flake ice machines are used by businesses that have items that need to be preserved or displayed, like restaurants and grocery stores. Since the ice produced by these machines is softer, it won’t bruise or damage items that are on display. Additionally, the ice is light and fluffy, which makes it easy to pile up for a beautiful food presentation.
A flake ice machine is similar to other ice makers in that it has a compressor and produces ice on demand. The main difference is that the ice it makes is in the form of small, flakes rather than in nuggets or spheres. This ice is better for cooling than other types of ice, including cubes and nuggets.
Cubed ice from standard machines is generally denser than flaked ice because most ice machines wash out the minerals, which creates a harder ice. Flake ice, however, does not have this feature and is naturally softer because more air is present when it freezes.
Another factor in the quality of ice that flake ice machines produce is the purity of the water used to run them. The purer the water, the clearer the resulting ice. This is especially important for commercial ice machines, because a machine with poor-quality water can produce cloudy ice, which can cause damage to products or even health problems for customers who consume it. This is why it’s always a good idea to purchase an ice machine that has the option of using filtered or reverse osmosis water.