Featuring in this article: GE Nugget Ice Maker, Frigidaire Nugget Ice Maker, Nugget Ice Maker for Home, Countertop Nugget Ice Maker, Countertop Ice Maker Nugget, Nugget Ice Maker Countertop, Best Nugget Ice Maker.
What is Nugget Ice?
Nugget Ice can be identified by various names like chewblet ice, cubelet the ice, hospital ice, and Sonic ice, following the popular drive-in chain. Nugget is soft and is chewable, and it is ideal for those who love chewing ice but don’t want to take the risk of chipping a tooth.
Commercial Nugget Ice Makers for Restaurants and Bars
One of the main reasons that nugget ice is so loved by people is that it’s soft and holds liquid.
Its soft and chewy texture absorbs the taste of sweet drinks and leaves the customers in a state of bliss similar to an ice cream cone.
Restaurants that offer a variety of soft drinks, such as sandwich shops and soda, would prefer a nugget ice maker since it makes the kind of cubes perfect for these drinks.
The bars and restaurants serving sweet tropical cocktails like Mai Tais or Margaritas also enjoy nugget ice.
A Nugget Ice Maker to Hospitals and Clinics
Commercial Nugget ice makers can be called the ice chip makers in certain circles.
Nugget ice was explicitly designed with clinics and hospitals in mind. Patients have difficulty swallowing liquid however, nurses and doctors must ensure they are well-hydrated. A cup of nuggets ice is exactly what doctors want! Patients can chew the soft ice and drink it up during the process.
Just like with children of a younger age, the ice nuggets have less of a chance of blocking the airway for patients who have difficulty swallowing.
The Nugget Ice Maker is an excellent tool for physical therapy.
Nugget ice machines are the most effective ice machines to treat injuries and are an ideal supplement to any physical therapy or sports medicine clinic.
The soft texture of nugget ice allows it to be semi-moldable. If placed inside a bag made of plastic the ice nuggets hug the body’s most difficult-to-treat areas like knees and elbows.
This kind of a size of ice offers more surface to the area, which means it has a more comfortable cooling surface that can help heal injuries faster.
The issue with cubes or crescent-shaped ice can be that it could cut through bags as it melts. Large ice cubes may melt and then become sharp, ripping holes through plastic bags and spilling water onto the ground. Since nuggets of ice are soft and flexible, they’re much less likely to break spots in the plastic bag.
A Commercial Ice Maker for elementary schools
Kids indeed love to chew on ice, and they tend to underestimate what they can do with their teeth.
A higher water-to-ice ratio characterizes nugget ice, and therefore the cube won’t be fully solidified. This makes the cubes less difficult on chompers than other forms of ice.
Children who chew on more slender, a bigger cube of ice, such as the crescent-shaped ice, and round ice could damage the enamel of their teeth or chip their teeth when they chew and break up a cube.
Instead of breaking through a cube resembling rock, the nugget ice feels like chomping down on frozen snow, and Nugget ice is more gentle on the growing teeth.
Commercial nugget ice machines can also be helpful to school nurses in the same manner that nugget ice aids rehabilitation clinics.
Children love to play roughhouse at recess, which means that they will get some scrapes or bruises. Nugget Ice is a simple solution to ease injuries for kids by applying a cold compress.
In the end, as children love sweet drinks, nugget ice is an excellent option for kids who like to chew on the ice!
For form or function, Ice Makers are ideal for any business.
It doesn’t take an institution or clinic to reap the benefits of having a nugget ice machine. Everyone from kids to film stars enjoys its chewy texture and its ability to accompany their favorite beverages.
Nugget Ice Maker for Home
If you like chewing on soft, crunchy ice, a nugget ice maker would be the perfect addition to your kitchen.
If you talk to anyone who is an ice-lover, they’ll inform you that there are many different kinds of ice that are not the same.
Indeed, many claims that nugget ice, also known as pebble ice, is the most excellent ice, hands down, since it is made of small pieces that are incredibly soft and easy to chew.
Popularized by Sonic and Chick-Fil A, nugget Ice is created using an auger system that produces small cubes made from compressed ice chunks, creating the soft and porous feel that absorbs drinks’ flavor.
You might be surprised to learn that nugget ice makers may not be as famous as traditional ice makers. Still, if you need those fantastic chewable cubes in your kitchen there are commercial and residential ones available for purchase.
What to Consider?
If you’re in the market for an ice maker nugget you’ll likely be able to choose between models that are countertop, typically designed for use at home, and larger commercial models that are more expensive. But none of these choices are cheap – even the most miniature models for homes can cost more than $400.
There are a variety of aspects to take into consideration when you are comparing different ice makers. They include the amount of ice they can create daily, the amount of ice it can hold, whether the ice storage compartment is refrigerated, and whether it is connected to a water line or has to be manually filled.
Additionally, some machines serve nuggets of ice in your drink, while some include an ice storage bin to scoop.
Below are some of the best options for Ice Nugget Makers for you to choose from:
1. GE Profile Opal
Opal is the cost-effective “good Ice” maker for homes that you’ve imagined. Nugget Ice/Chewable ice is composed of ice flakes compacted, ideal for sodas, cocktails, and other refreshing drinks.
Instead of traditional cubes of hard ice, try soft nuggets of ice that keep flavors intact and are simple to chew.
The side tank produces around 3x more ice and can easily connect to the maker.
It is portable; You can quickly move your ice maker whenever you need to. There is no water hookup required to connect it to any 120-volt grounded (standard) electrical outlet and fill the reservoir up with water. When the ice melts, water is returned to the reservoir to transform into ice.
It is quick and powerful; in just 20 min, you’ll be able to enjoy soft, crisp ice precisely like the ice that you want at your favorite eatery.
This ice maker produces 24 pounds of ice daily. The bin can hold 3 pounds of ice at a time.
It is brilliant; there is built-in Bluetooth Connectivity to schedule fresh ice and monitor the ice maker’s performance, and place orders for accessories from the app for your smartphone.
No water connection is required; plug it into any 120 volts grounded (standard) electrical outlet and fill the reservoir up with water. As it melts, it returns the water to the reservoir and will be transformed back into ice.
Pros:
- Portable
- Quick and powerful
- Smart
- No water connection required
- Bluetooth Connectivity
Cons:
- Ice bin isn’t refrigerated
Sold By: GE Profile
Item Price: $549.00 + tax
2. Frigidaire Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker
Due to the complicated processes required to make nugget ice, these makers are quite costly, and among the best value options is this model by Frigidaire.
It has a slim style that you can put on your kitchen counter and make an impressive 44-pounds of ice each day. (However, the non-refrigerated ice bin can only hold 3 pounds.)
The first cubes of nugget are ready within about 15 minutes, and when the ice is melting, it is pumped to the storage reservoir, where it will be remade into the ice.
Pros:
- Fast and Powerful: In just 15 minutes, your will have soft, crisp ice precisely like the ice you’re used to from that favorite eatery.
- Portable: The compact countertop connects to any outlet at home and can be taken with you on your next camping trip. It doesn’t require a water hookup!
- High capacity: Produces 44 pounds of ice every day, and the bin can hold 3 pounds at a time.
- Automatic: When melting ice happens, it will return the water into the reservoir and can be remade into ice.
- Affordable
- Works quickly
Cons:
- Loud
Sold by: Frigidaire
Item Price: $316.00
KBice Self Dispensing Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
Many pellet ice makers need users to scoop nuggets out of an ice container.
However, the KBice Nugget Ice Maker features an inbuilt dispenser that pours the ice directly into your drink, making it the perfect choice for busy homes or break rooms in offices.
The machine can produce approximately thirty pounds of ice each day and make its first nuggets within 30 minutes.
However, the negative is that it has one pound of ice storage.
This KBice Maker requires pure or distilled water to get the most effective results. Additionally, it is self-cleaning to make maintenance easy.
Pros:
- Built-in dispenser
- Self-cleaning
Cons:
- Small ice container
- Requires the use of distilled water
Sold by: KITCHEN BASICS 101
Item Price: $494.99
Northair Countertop Nugget Ice Maker | Nugget Ice Maker for Home | Countertop Nugget Ice Maker | Countertop Ice Maker Nugget | Nugget Ice Maker Countertop | Best Nugget Ice Maker
It is a compact ice maker and suitable for your home. It is possible to add water manually.
This ice maker produces 44 pounds of ice daily, and the bin can hold 3.31 pounds at one time. When the ice melts, water is returned to the reservoir, which can be turned back into ice.
You can click on the “CLEAN” option to activate the automatic cleaning process. A large viewing window and indicators light up to let you know when the basket is filled or when water is required, and any leftover ice melts to the reservoir for later usage.
It has a simple-to-read, push-button design that allows for user-friendly use and offers timely ice production. If there isn’t sufficient water available in the tank the indicator will blink and remind that you add more water.
When the ice maker is overflowing, the ice maker warns you to get rid of all the ice cubes so that the maker can begin to produce more ice.
Pros:
- Auto Self-Cleaning
- LCD and Digital Display
- Larger ice bin
- Makes ice quickly
Cons
- Fairly noisy
Sold by: Northair
Item Price: $369.99
GE Built-In 56 lbs. Freestanding Ice Maker
Are you reluctant to allocate precious counter space to an Ice maker? This GE Built-In, Freestanding Ice Maker, is designed to fit inside a kitchen cabinet for a seamless design.
The machine can create as much as 65 pounds of ice each day. Its bin can hold the equivalent of 26 pounds auto-shutting off when fully stocked.
The built-in unit can be put outdoors or indoors and is connected to the waterline, saving you from the necessity of refilling it.
The LED inside the room is activated when you open the door; however, the only drawback is that you need to buy a separate door panel.
Pros:
- Sleek built-in design
- Hooks up to the waterline
- Large capacity
Cons:
- Expensive
- Door sold as a separate item
Sold by: GE Profile
Item Price: $3,199.00
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Portable Ice Maker
The GE Profile Opal 2.0 has several improvements with Wi-Fi connectivity which lets you manage the machine from any location.
The appliance features a sleek design that can produce 24 pounds of ice each day.
Additionally, it is smaller than its predecessor because the reservoir for water is built in the lower part of the appliance.
This ice maker could begin producing ice in about 20 minutes. And for those who have hard water, there’s an ice filtration device that can be used to lower the reservoir of water.
Pros:
- Wi-Fi connectivity
- A more streamlined design
Cons:
- Filter sold on its own
GE Profile Opal 2.0 Portable Ice Maker
Produces 85-lb ice daily ice and has a storage capacity of 22 lbs.
Air-cooled condenser Pure Ice technology makes sure that the ice is fresh and free from odors decreasing scale and bacteria.
The stainless steel finish is resistant to scratches, dents, and rust scratches.
The drain pump moves wastewater to a drain if a floor drain is unavailable.
It produces 85 pounds of ice over 24 hours. If the ambient air temperature and the incoming temperatures of the water are more than the ideal temperature, this quantity will be less.
It creates Pearl Ice, an exclusive type of nugget-sized ice that is soft and suitable for chewing and is ideal in soft drinks. Pure Ice technology eliminates the presence of the growth of bacteria and keeps the ice clean and fresh.
The stainless steel finish gives it an elegant appearance and enough strength for the most demanding settings.
It is designed for use in areas where floor drains are not available. The unit has an automatic drain pump that transports wastewater to an adjacent drain.
Pros:
- The stainless steel finish resists scratches, dents, and rust scratches.
- Comes with an Automatic Drain Pump.
Cons:
- High maintenance
- Sub-par warranty
- Quite noisy
Sold by: Ice-O-Matic
Item Price: $5,040.45 + tax
Also read: Modern Kitchen Sink Design Ideas 2022
More by Vanshika: Vanshika Vidhaan
