Ice machines are an essential part of equipment in most catering or hospitality establishments these days, most commonly used in busy bars and restaurants to cater for customer demand.
The use of industrial ice machines has long since taken over the role of plastic ice cube trays which were inefficient to meet demand, clumsy and troublesome, often creating more ice outside the tray through spills and knocks than ice cubes itself. Ice cube trays may still have their place in the domestic setting but even there making enough ice to cope with demand in the summer months is an ongoing marathon.
Purchasing bags of ice may be the answer to meet supply in the domestic setting, but is still an ineffective method of catering for busy establishments; there is also the issue of storing the bags of ice in freezers, which takes up valuable space for alternative goods. Not to mention having enough bags of ice in the first place.
No it is fact that ice machines are one of the most important items of bar equipment, keeping customers happy with ice cool beverages all year round.
Now choosing your ice machines is all dependent on the amount of ice you will require, having a good idea of how many kilos of ice your catering establishment gets through each day will provide a clear guide of which ice machine including storage will fit the bill. If you are starting business from scratch it might well be a shrewd move to lease a machine to begin with until you have a clear picture of how much the frozen stuff your customers will devour, it will also provide you with a monthly installment to budget for rather than paying a lump sum up front for potentially a machine which might not be big enough, ultimately saving you money.
Ice machines also come in various shapes and sizes and often have the ability to provide different shaped ice, such as cubed, flaked, or nuggets. They are available for both industrial and domestic use. You can have plumbed in ice machines, tabletop or portable each is quite specific to the amount of ice needed.
Portable ice machines are brilliant in the domestic setting, and can easily cater for summer gatherings, barbecues and small events. Because they are portable they can be taken with you on holidays in caravans, boats or to holiday cottages to help quench your thirst for something chilled in the midst of the summer.
Tabletop varieties are brilliant for small catering establishments as they don't up to much space, they can still create substantial quantities of ice, without being plumbed into a permanent position, they also will have adequate storage for ice made.
Industrial ice machines will require plumbing similar to that of a domestic washing machine; some ice machine can make a massive 12kg of ice in any 24 hour period, more than ample for most busy watering holes even in the height of the summer months. Installation can easily be carried out by a plumber but it is a good idea to have a filter installed especially if installed in a hard water area. This will certainly extend the machines life expectancy whilst reducing potential maintenance and breakdown bills.
Whatever the requirement for having ice machines, whether entertaining at home or catering for hundreds of thirsty customers in a packed nightclub, there will be an ice machine to suit demand with ice left over.
Author Resource:-
Anna Stenning investigates how ice machines alleviate the pressure of meeting demand for icy beverages in busy catering establishments.
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