Ice Makers

When planning your home bar or outdoor entertaining area, don’t forget to make space for an ice maker. Without one, you might find yourself trucking ice from your kitchen refrigerator when it comes time to make a cool drink. Whether they’re perched on your counter or mounted underneath, ice makers make it easy for you to grab a few ice cubes and plunk them into a glass of lemonade, an iced coffee or a scotch on the rocks.

Can my ice maker produce a certain kind of ice?

One of the first things you’ll want to consider when choosing your ice machine is the type of ice cubes it produces. While some shapes are perfect for drinks, others are best for cooling food and other items. Here’s a quick list of the most common shapes of ice:
• Cube: A common shape, cubes offer maximum cooling and are typically dense and hard. They can also be found in miniature diced cubes.
• Tube: A shape perfect for drinks, tube-shaped ice is typically soft and chewable. It melts more quickly than the cube style.
• Crushed: Great for slushies and smoothies, crushed ice melts fairly quickly.

What types of ice makers are there?

Depending on your needs, you may decide you prefer a portable ice maker or one that is mounted under your counter. A portable style doesn’t require a water line and can quickly make batches of ice, though they won’t keep the ice frozen. Instead, when the ice inside melts the ice machine will recycle the water into more ice.

A built-in style requires a water line, so be sure you have one available or are ready to have one installed. Some built-in ice machines will also require a drain line. This style will produce more ice than a portable one, and will keep it frozen for much longer, too. If you’re planning on installing a built-in ice maker outside, take a peek at our ice machines that are designed for outdoor use.