Flakes, Nuggets, Cubes Or Diced, How Do You Like Your Ice?

Did you know there is a lot more to ice than meets the eye? Most of us just think of ice simply for cooling our drinks in summer or as a nuisance on a cold winter morning, having to get up ten minutes earlier than usual to de-ice the car. We don't think of ice in categories of flaked, nuggets, cubed or diced. However to the catering trade and health care industry, the shape of the ice required makes all the difference.

It is also interesting to know that for every shape of ice required there is a machine to do the job, ice flakers make flaked ice as suggested by the name, this ice product is favoured especially for food displays, keeping produce fresh at low temperatures whilst being displayed on food counters, for example fish counters, salad bars and meat displays, alternatively it's very popular when transporting fresh fish, as it keeps the fish wet without being frozen.

Ice is also used by healthcare professionals and physiotherapists for ice packs. Ice Flakers are used to create either flakes or nuggets of ice which are put into packs and used for example on soft tissue injuries. Nuggets are preferred for this use as they tend not to melt so quickly yet still mould to a perfect shape without causing bruising to the patient when pressure is applied.

Of course ice is still used when serving beverages and blended cocktails, ice flakers provide the perfect ice form for frappes, especially cafe, milkshakes or fruit juices filled to the brim with crushed iced.
Ice cubes and gourmet ice are used more specifically in larger bars, restaurants and catering establishments where the demand for ice is greater, or where banqueting services are required.
Ice machines and ice flakers are very expensive pieces of equipment and therefore generally only purchased by either the catering or healthcare professions where the demand for ice meets the expense. Smaller versions of these machines can be purchased though, for example manual ice crushers for coffee shops or domestic use.

Commercial ice flakers and ice machines come in varying sizes, which also means very expense; most establishments will buy an ice machine based on the quantity of ice required on a daily basis, as all ice flakers are graded on kilograms of ice produced in 24 hours, this provides a good guideline of the size of machine required for the job.

Combined with ice makers for the catering trade there is also a need for laboratory ice flakers and makers, these also come in a wide range of models, under bench ice flakers, bench top ice crushers, modular ice makers, ice cube makers and laboratory ice crushers, each grade of ice being used for specific requirements. The requirement for laboratory ice often being the need for hygienic ice, made in a self contained uncontaminated unit.

Ice Dispensers are also in great demand by the hospitality trade, medical centres and hospitals, ice dispensers basically are ice machines on a smaller scale. Often ice dispensers will also dispense iced water too; these are manually operated by a lever to dispense the amount required.

So next time you order a drink with ice or go to a supermarket and buy from the fresh produce or fish counter have a look at the ice they have used and remember there is more to ice than your average ice cube!