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For any business serving cold beverages to the general public, a commercial ice making machine is an essential piece of equipment. Fresh ice is always needed in restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, and fast food outlets. A commercial ice machine needs to produce ice quickly and efficiently for you and your customers. You need a product that creates uniform ice cubes that can be placed in ice cubes or drinks. Hygiene is also an important consideration when choosing a solution for your business and you need to draw clean water directly from the mains.
Types of ice machines and what they are used for
The three key types of commercial ice-making machines are ice cube machines, flake ice machines, and small ice-making machines. All of these are tailored for different purposes depending on the needs of your business.
If you use a lot of ice in large quantities, then an ice cube storage bin, to store the ice cubes for you until you need to use them, can also be useful.
Ice cube making machines
The most widespread type of commercial ice maker is the ice cube maker. This makes ice cubes for drinks and ice cubes from the water supplied by the network.
The cube machines can be air or water cooled.
To form ice cubes, water is sprayed into chilled glasses that are kept in a refrigeration unit and the ice is formed in layers. The ice cube is created as the water flows, so there is no time for bubbles to form. This gives you solid, crystal clear ice cubes that last a long time in ice cubes and cold drink glasses.
When the cubes reach an optimal size, a small amount of heat is applied to the cooled cups. This loosens the ice cubes and they descend into their storage container. Once the glasses have been emptied, new water flows into the machine and the process begins again. Once the storage bin is full of ice, the machine stops until the ice cubes are removed for use. The ice machine detects that the ice has been removed and begins to produce cubes once more.
There are important factors to consider when purchasing an ice machine for your business, as you must decide how much ice to use on a daily basis. Do not forget to check the dimensions of the chosen product and make sure that it fits the space provided. If your ice maker has air vents on the side or front panels, they must be kept clear for air to circulate.
Ice machines do not necessarily need to be located in a cool area as they are designed to operate in an ambient temperature of around 20 ° C.
Ice cube makers are ideal for restaurants; bars and hotels where a constant supply of ice is needed throughout the day and into the night to meet the continuous demand.
If space is short but you still need a lot of ice cubes, an alternative to the traditional ice cube maker is the vertical plate ice bucket. This gives you cubes quickly but doesn’t take up as much space. The highly developed technology of a vertical plate cuber means that the cubes are completely symmetrical at 25x25x25mm each. The vertical plate cubes are made of stainless steel with their storage containers made of plastic. They are also a great option if your maintenance time is short for you, as they have an internal cleaning system.
Vertical plate ice cube makers are best for locations where space is at a premium but still need a quick spin on the ice, such as a small bar or coffee shop.
Flake ice machines
Flake ice machines are incredibly versatile. They are used in different industries to cool and protect products. Flakes are widely used in fishing to keep fresh fish fresh both at sea when caught and on the slab of the fishmonger. Another use for them is in cocktail bars, bakeries, butchers, and for storing and distributing fresh vegetables. Since flake ice is hygienic and clean, it is used to transport medicines.
Commercial flake ice machines are specifically manufactured to generate flakes that are dry and do not stick together. Flake ice is ideal for storage and display, as it is easy to handle, scoop, and spread around a meat or fish display.
Flake ice machines form crystals on a vertical plate. This ice is then removed at regular intervals. As the flakes are scraped off, any excess water is squeezed out of the ice and back into the machine, giving the flakes a dry finish.
Like the cube making machine, the flake machines will keep making flakes until the storage bin is full and the machine will stop until the flakes are taken out.
Small ice machines
You may need ice, but you only have a small business with limited space for a machine.
This is where small machines are ideal and very popular. The call to these in a commercial setting is significant as even the smallest bar, café, guesthouse, or bistro is expected to provide ice for use in beverages. The small machines are designed to stand on a countertop, but can also stand alone on legs if required. They work in exactly the same way as the larger models: they gently heat the ice glasses when full, replace the water, and turn off the machine when the storage bin is full.
Vertical plate cubes also come in a smaller size when large amounts of ice are needed but space is still tight.
The flake machines are available in a smaller size. They are perfect for creating flakes to present chilled items in a deli or butcher shop or specialty cocktail bars, or for smoothies or smoothies.