Ice Machines

Ice machines produce ice for service in foodservice facilities, restaurants, bars and hotels, either in the back of the house or for customer self-service.

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Ice formats include cube, flake and extruded (also called compressed or nugget). Cubes are a standard in restaurants; however, there has been a recent trend in using chewable ice. This is especially popular in more casual settings like pizza restaurants. A pizzeria’s service style — ranging from dine-in to carry out to a combination of both — will dictate how much ice the restaurant will require, the unit type, placement and more.

Ice machines work by extracting heat from an evaporator plate and expelling it from the unit. Typically, air-cooled systems pump the heat out of the box into the kitchen, where it is cooled by air conditioning. Normally, when an operation needs to produce 1,000 pounds of ice or more per day, it is recommended that a remote ice machine be employed.

A common misconception is that if a remote ice machine is working, it does not need maintenance. This is not the case.