Circle up, hotshots. You probably think you’re big stuff and don’t even need an Ice School diploma. Think you’ve got it all figured out, huh?

Water + Cold = Ice. I mean, how much more is there to learn, right?

Well, superstar, this ain’t your grandmother’s blue plastic ice tray. And while you may have felt like a golden god twisting that thing like the very fabric of reality to force it to beget its 12 cloudy white “cubes,” (you were probably lucky to get 10-and-a-half since one would always escape by slipping under the fridge and one that would crack in half rather than serve you)–this is the big leagues. And you have a lot to learn.

Even the ice machine in your freezer, when compared to a commercial ice machine, is like comparing that flapping bicycle the Wright brothers invented to the space shuttle: yeah, they both fly–but one is going to take you a lot farther. One has a range of THE FRIGGIN MOON, and the other can take you about as far as the side of a Victorian-era barn.

So let’s talk about when icemaking goes pro, like a 6’6” father of two with a birth certificate that says he’s twelve.

We know that talking shop about commercial ice machines sounds like a top-rated podcast that doubles as a sleep-aid, but we’re going to try to keep is spicy and heat things up a bit…just never above 32* Fahrenheit, amirite, guys? (Brace yourselves, for #PunsWillAbound).

Your education begins NOW.

Think of all the places you’ve ever seen an industrial ice maker: maybe you used to scoop one out into a huge bucket every Friday night so your fraternity’s keg would stay frosty. Maybe you’d sneak into your church’s kitchen and make bets with your brother about who could keep their bare arm plunged into the icy depths of the bin longest (never once considering if your unwashed arms had contaminated the ice supply and potentially infected the entire retired women’s quilting circle with the plague…poor Blanche, God rest her soul). Maybe you’ve had to visit a hotel ice machine during a romantic getaway after attempting an advanced bedroom move that you weren’t quite qualified for and you kicked your significant other in the nose, requiring a cold compress (and a cold shower for you, because if you think for one second I can get back in the mood NOW…).

Mac Daddy ice machines are needed in many different settings: restaurants, hospitals, cafeterias, supermarkets, hotels, churches, convenience stores, and more.

All commercial ice machines work by elaborating on that simple formula above:

Water + Cold = Ice.

In this case, the water comes from an external source (aka not the ice machine itself), and the cold comes from the freezing mechanism inside the machine. When those two things combine in the right machine: grab your parka, because you’re gonna have a whole lot of ice.

While there are many different types and features of commercial ice machines (more on that once you deserve it) they are all going to meet some basic requirements:

1. Ability to produce medium to large amounts of ice every day
2. Be made of durable materials to withstand constant/heavy use.
3. Ensure that all components that come into contact with the water and ice are food-grade quality

And just like that you have it: the fast and dirty (but always cold and clean) bare bones basics of commercial ice machines. We’re gonna flesh this out over the course of the series until you’re basically this guy:

Contact us now to learn more about Ice School!