All About Ice Makers

Ice, civilization, and the ancient Italian art of ice cream making

If "ice is civilization," as the central character of Paul Theroux's novel The Mosquito Coast insists, then ice makers may be civilization's ultimate necessity. We often take them for granted, but the affordability and ubiquity of ice makers are what make many of our modern comforts possible.

Types of ice

It would be nearly impossible to run a restaurant, hotel, or hospital today without ice makers. Most home refrigerators manufactured today come with internal ice makers, and these can often be heard clicking away in the kitchen, forming and dispensing ice cubes.

Ice makers create four basic types of ice:

Icecubes

Ice cubes are about as solid as ice gets, though they're not always shaped exactly like cubes. Ice cubes can be rectangular or crescent-shaped. Over 3/4 of ice makers in the U.S. produce ice in a cube form.

Iceflakes

Ice flakes are also quite common. They are often used in supermarket or deli display cases, as well as on fishing boats, salad bars, or any other place where the clinging quality of ice flakes can be advantageous for preserving food.

Crushedice

Crushed ice pieces are typically small and jagged in comparison to ice cubes, and are mostly used for keeping drinks cool. Crushed ice tends to melt faster than ice cubes.

Ice nuggets

Ice nuggets are small pieces of ice flakes also used for cooling drinks.

How home ice cube makers work

Most home refrigerator ice makers are integrated with an ice storage bin and use an electric motor to initiate the ice creating cycle. Ice makers also need to be hooked up to a water line to draw water for the ice cubes.

The ice making cycle begins when the solenoid water valve opens long enough to let water fill an ice mold. The ice maker's cooling unit freezes this water, and once the thermostat senses a predetermined temperature, a heating coil is engaged that warms up and loosens the ice cubes from their mold.

The ice maker's motor then spins its gears, causing ejector blades to scoop out the new ice and push it to the front of the ice maker, and the process starts all over again.

Ice cream makers

If ice makers are civilization's ultimate necessity, perhaps ice cream makers are civilization's ultimate luxury. Ice cream maker technology has advanced exponentially since the days when your grandmother made batches in her kitchen. Inexpensive ice cream makers are available, but top of the line ice cream makers will cost you upwards of several hundred dollars.

If you're serious about your ice cream, the cost of an ice cream maker is worth it. Many companies are making quality ice cream makers, including Cuisinart, White Mountain, and KitchenAid.

More expensive alternatives are ice cream makers from Italian companies such as Lello and Musso. Seeing as Italians have been making gelato since about the mid-16th century, it's hard to argue with the decision to buy an Italian ice cream maker.

More information on icemakers