Ice machines are one of the most important items of any commercial kitchen. Whether you are running a restaurant, bar, cafe or pub kitchen, an ice machine will help you keep drinks cool for longer and make serving cold items so much easier. However, there are a number of important considerations when choosing your commercial ice maker, from size and budget to speed of use, drainage and cleaning issues. Read on to find out more about the uses and benefits of the different commercial ice machines available.

Weight, Size and Speed

Weight, speed and size are all important factors when considering an ice machine. The Ice Appliance ice machine can produce up to 12kg of ice each day, and at just 8.5 kilos in weight, this is easy to transport and set up. Because it is 24 cm wide, it can easily fit into smaller spaces in the kitchen. It is adaptable for any market with its EU or UK plug. Attractive and sleek, this unit comes in a piano black or pro steel finish. You can also set this machine to produce large or small ice chunks, and it comes with a free plastic scoop to make serving easy and convenient. This is a great example of an ice machine to suit any commercial kitchen.

Other Uses for Ice Machines

The large quantities of ice produced not only makes ice machines ideal for restaurants and bars, but they are also great for use at parties where a large number of people will need cold drinks. Ice machines can be used to create ice to use in other situations, such as keeping bottles cold and keeping food cold in a display fridge. They can also be useful for producing ice for cooling rooms using an old-fashioned air conditioning unit.

Compact and Portable Ice Makers

Many modern ice machines are lightning fast and easy to use. They can be compact, making them perfect for smaller spaces and kitchens, such as the Polar Ice Machine Compact and the Hoshizaki Ice Machine AM-20CAE. Ice machines can also be easy to clean, using a removable stainless steel spray bar and removable spray jets, as with the popular Halcyon 25kg/24hr Ice Maker Machine. Because they are small, compact and portable, ice machines of this type can easily be moved wherever you need them, whether you are hosting a party outdoors or in a different building.

Shapes and Styles of Ice

One of the fun things about ice machines is that they can create ice in different shapes and styles to suit various requirements. For example, the Parry Finger Ice Machine creates ice in finger shapes, while the Classeq Ice-O-Matic Machine ICE56 produces ice in thimble shapes. These machines can also use special spray technology to produce crystal-clear ice for an attractive finish. The appearance of the ice is an important consideration when producing drinks commercially, so this feature is often highly desirable when looking for a commercial ice machine.