There’s nothing more enjoyable on a long summer day than ice-cold treats like slushies, margaritas, or snow cones. To create these delicious treats, you need one thing: an ice crusher.
In our professional opinion the Pro IC70 Large–Capacity Ice Crusher, by Waring, is the best ice crusher currently on the market.
The 5 Best Selling Ice Crushers
For your convenience, the below list shows the 5 best selling ice crushers currently available for sale on Amazon.com. The list is automatically updated once a day.
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Depending on the type of ice you like, you may want an ice shaver, crusher, or even a mixed drink maker! There are lots of options out there and it can be hard to decide on exactly what you need.
Our Selection of The 5 Best Ice Crushers:
Collected below are some best ice crushers currently for sale online. Each one has its functions, features, positives, and negatives listed out so you can decide what machine is best for you.
1. Hawaiian Shaved Ice Maker and Crusher S900A
This machine is a very specialized unit. It is made specifically to shave ice instead of crushing it. This will produce a nice fluffy treat that has captivated so many taste buds. It has a compact countertop design and even disassembles in seconds for easy storage.
It comes with a non-skid mat to keep the unit in place during operations and has a strong metal blade. There are a few drawbacks to this design, however.
To get shaved ice, you must use the two molds included freezing special round blocks of ice. Then, once frozen, they must thaw on the counter for 5-7 minutes before shaving can commence. You get around 3-5 servings per block of ice so if you are trying to make treats for a large children’s birthday party or picnic, those two molds will probably not be enough so be sure to make lots of blocks ahead of time.
If you are looking for coarser ice, you can use plain ice cubes and adjust the blade but, as you may guess from the name, this machine is supposed to be specifically for shaved ice. It’s a very reasonably priced little unit at around $33 so if you’re looking for an easy (and less expensive) way to serve shaved ice at your party, this may be the way to go.
2. Waring Pro IC70 Large-Capacity Ice Crusher
The Waring ice crusher is a large capacity professional unit that is capable of holding twelve cups of regular ice cubes at a time. It crushes ice at around 30 pounds per hour for reasonably quick and flawless crushing. It features an on/off toggle switch and solid stainless steel blades for efficient operation. This crusher seems to make chunks of ice that are kind of an awkward size.
The chunks are too large to be useful for snow cones but are too small to really create an “on the rocks” feel. The best use for this size of crushed ice is perhaps for filling tubs and coolers with ice for trays of food such as you would at a large party.
Additionally, this machine is way over what many other similar machines cost at around $400. If you do a lot of catering type events, it may be worth it but for everyday home use, another model might be better suited.
3. Zeny Electric Ice Crusher
Much like the GoPlus model, the Zeny Electric Ice Crusher sports a more industrial look with a stable heavy iron base and stainless steel holding bowl. It has a waterproof on and off toggle switch and a safety cover switch which greatly improves the protection offered by this model. The cover switch will not allow the unit to operate if the lid to the bowl is open which means you can never slice up your hand on accident.
It has a stainless steel blade that can be adjusted to give coarser ice or shaved ice using regular ice cubes which is both convenient and efficient. It also crushes ice at up to 143 pounds per hour. This unit is also very affordable for what you get. At around $55, this ice crusher is certainly best in class.
4. Margaritaville Bali Frozen Concoction Maker and Ice Crusher
This is a machine for adults. Well, theoretically you could use it for children too but as the name implies this was made to make serving margaritas and daiquiris a breeze. This unit is an all-in-one machine with the ability to crush ice and blend it with a drink mix for perfectly blended frozen cocktails. The machine comes with a 60-ounce capacity double-walled pitcher and four pre-programmed drinks to perfectly prepare margaritas, Coladas, daiquiris, and smoothies.
You can tell it to make a half batch or full batch which is great if you have different gathering sizes or want to frequently change out the kind of drink being made. It has a manual shave and blend control so you can adjust the ice to your preferences.
Even better, the jar has a push dispenser so party-goers can refill their own drinks easily and quickly. The brushed metallic housing lends the unit an air of sleek style that would look good on any counter. The only deterrent to this product is the price. At around $230, it’s definitely a pricey machine but it does do all the work for you. For some, this is a reasonable trade-off.
5. GoPlus Electric Ice Crusher
This model looks quite a bit more industrial than other models but it definitely does the job! The GoPlus crusher is capable of crushing ice at a blazing fast 143 pounds per hour. It is built with a sturdy and stable base with grips on the feet. It features a water-resistant on and off toggle switch and a stainless steel holding bowl for ice. The exterior is all stainless steel as is the blade.
The size of the ice appears to be appropriate for slushies and snow cones but will not do shaved ice. It has been noted that this unit is to the noisy side but for the extremely reasonable price of about around $45, you can’t really go wrong with this crusher.
Ice Crusher Buying Guide
When deciding to buy an ice crusher for your home, office or bar, there are plenty of details to take into consideration. Here are some of the key points you need to take into account when deciding which one would be best for you and not make you overspend.
There are four types of ice you can produce with an ice maker. Each has its own benefit and of course their own disadvantages when you figure out what you need. There are cubes, flakes, bullets, and sprayed ice, mainly used for meals and fancy cooking. So make sure you know what you need before you buy it.
Positioning your ice crusher is also key to what you will need it for and how you are going to use it. Cocktails ready at the countertop – flakes, just the same cubes always come in handy with heavier drinks and of course finally the spray which comes into play when you are a cook and need to add this extra to your meals.
Let us look at the different types of cooling. There are water-cooled and air-cooled ice crushers. The air-cooled ones need a lot of clearance around their placement so that airflow is good and easier to operate, while the water-cooled versions can be used in areas with higher temperature and putting them on any countertop next to another appliance is not a problem.
Water-cooled machines also cost more because of electricity usage but also to prevent limescale build-up you might need extra products. But at this price, you gain more over time than you give at the point of work.
Most ice crushers are easy to clean but this is another detail to take into consideration and also how much time it will take you, as commercial appliances cost more to maintain than home use ones. At the same time, you get more for what you pay out of commercial use ones.
At the end of the day, research and use consideration are key to what product might serve you the best and the greatest use you can get out of it. If you are a home cook who loves doing what they do, then investing in better models while still sticking to home-oriented ones might be the option, if you are a commercial cook in the look to save up on time and need better results than the other choices would be for you.
Ice Crusher FAQs
How Much Electricity Does an Ice Crusher Use?
Just like any other product which is based on brand and specs, it is the same with ice crushers. Most electricity usage is based on model and purpose; how much you use it and what it is meant for. A commercial use ice crusher would use a lot more electricity than a home use one, however, it would produce more ice to be distributed, than a home usage one.
At the same time, and at-home use ice crusher would meet all your needs for a party or a quick fancy meal and not cost you as much and if it’s energy-efficient and would still make the best of both worlds.
How Does an Ice Crusher Work?
Depending on the crushing mechanism, the ice crusher does exactly what the name implies. It crushes different forms of ice into different flakes, cubes etc. Some other commercially used machines make smaller chunks of ice from bigger ones and finally, some make ice cubes into ice spray which is mainly used in fine cuisine or to make anything from drinks to food look even fancier.
How Do You Use an Ice Crusher?
Most ice crushers, even though there are different types, work the same way. You just pour water into the tray set the power of the blades and type of ice you want to end up with and press a button. It is similar to the work a blender. Difference comes from manual bar and electric ice crushers which are the three types you can put to use.
One uses a crank for you to press down upon, while the bar blender makes less work of different types of ice you might need, but it’s a nightmare for your dishwasher, and finally the electric ice crusher. The only downside to it is that you need sufficient space on your countertop or even your floor to put it and sometimes you will have a hard time with this.
Conclusion
There are certainly all types of ice crushers available: drink makers, shavers, crushers, the list goes on! Hopefully, the units listed above have given you a reasonable idea of what to expect out of each type of machine so that you can decide what model is best for you.
