Ice Cube Types
ICE CUBE TYPES
When selecting an ice machine, the most important thing to keep in mind aside from the production rate is the shape of the ice that the machine makes. Each type of ice has its own benefits and drawbacks:
- Also known as Sonic ice, cubelet (or Nugget) ice is soft, chewable, and retains flavor well. Commonly used in hospitals and schools, these ice shapes are also popular with bar patrons.
All beverages, ice bagging, bulk cooling, fine dining/Scotch glasses.
Ideal for: Contract Feeding, retail,
industry.
- For customers who prefer types of ice with a more traditional square look. Dice and half dice machines come in virtually any production size to fit your business.
Universal use, blended drinks, self server dispensers.
Ideal for: quick service, fine dining, retail, hospitality, wschools institutions.
- Flaked ice is soft and moldable so you can create dazzling seafood of salad bar presentations. Its crushed ice texture is also ideal for specialized cocktails like Mai-Tais and Margaritas.
Merchandising presentation, product
preservation.Ideal for: food retail, healthcare, bakery & deli, foodservice.
- Crescent ice is a great all-around cube that fits most business needs. Crescent shaped ice is hard and slow melting. Perfect for small bars or high-volume restaurants.
Harder, longer lasting ice, non blended drinks, beverage dispensers.
Ideal for: industry, bar use, retail,
contract feeding.
HOSHIZAKI - Top Hat
ICE-O-MATIC - Gourmet
SCOTSMAN - Gourmet Cube
MANITOWOC - Octagon
Fine dining/Scotch glasses, non blended drinks.
Ideal for: bar use, fine dining, hospitality
Commercial Cube Ice Makers
Best ice for:
Bars, baggers, and many restaurants
Ice type names:
- Ice-O-Matic: full cube
- Manitowoc: regular cube (larger) or dice (smaller)
- Hoshizaki: square cube
- Scotsman: dice ice
Commercial Half-Cube Ice Machines
Ice type names:
- Ice-O-Matic: half cube
- Manitowoc: half dice
- Hoshizaki: crescent cube
- Scotsman: half dice & small cube
Commercial Nugget Ice Makers
Fountain beverages, specialty soft drinks, and blended cocktails
Ice type names:
- Ice-O-Matic: Pearl Ice®
- Manitowoc: nugget, tubular nugget
- Hoshizaki: cubelet
- Scotsman: nugget
- Follett: Chewblet® Ice
- Other: pebble ice, pellet ice, Sonic ice
Commercial Crescent Ice Makers
Ice type names:
- Hoshizaki is the only manufacturer that makes a commercial ice maker that produces crescent cubes. Though it’s unique to one company, crescent ice has a fan base, both among restaurateurs and customers, who will seek it out.
Commercial Flake Ice Machines
Produce, chilled foods on a buffet, seafood or meat in a display, blended cocktails, medical uses
Buffets, grocery stores, fish markets, anywhere that puts chilled food on display, and healthcare and institutional uses
Ice type names:
- Everyone actually agrees on this one: It’s flake ice.
Commercial Gourmet Ice Makers
High-end liquors, drinks at premium eateries or events
Ice type names:
- Ice-O-Matic: Gourmet Ice
- Manitowoc: Gourmet Ice
- Hoshizaki: Top Hat Ice
- Scotsman: Gourmet/Top Hat Ice