Ice maker .......soft ice

Are you talking about the ice packs in a bag? That is not soft ice, it is a frozen gel material, not just water. The jell come sin different varieties; some freeze hard, others are flexible, depending on the chemical mix and intended use. The ice packs are often used for shipping food items and pharmaceuticals because they don't leak like melted ice and are accepted for air shipments..

They have a crushed ice machine. Many hospitals do.

I would love to have that at home.

Check a local restaurant supply house for the machine. Something like for a wet bar, smaller..

There are two or more different types of machines. Cubers and flakers. It sounds like you are describing a flaker. I know of no modification or of anyone making a flaker for your refrigerator.

Contact a local ice machine vendor and ask about a home type flaker. I think once your hear the price, you will change your mind.

Metspitzer wrote: ...

Got a blender?

"DanG" wrote in news:WJDQm.81775$Wf2.54820 @newsfe23.iad:

For dry ice, I use a heavy towel to wrap the big chunks in. The I go at it with a small sledge hammer. I think the crushing would aso work for water ice. OTOH, if you take the bigger ice pieces in an ice bag, then add water to the ice bag, you'll have a pliable ice cold bag.

Friend of mine has ice machine in his side by side. It finally quit doing cubes or flakes. They open the door to take cubes off the top. I lifted the ice reservoir out, dumped out the ice. Used some hot water to melt what was left. Dry it out, shake the bin dry. Put it all back, and it works again. Modern miracle.

I tried that. It is not the same. It does a pretty good job, but just not the same.

Still, I think you'll do better if you look for crushed ice, instead of soft ice.

It's more than likely ice that comes from an auger type ice maker. It can be flake ice or nugget ice. The ice machine freezes water inside a chilled vertical barrel and an auger pushes it up and out through a perforated plate forming soft chewable little nuggets of ice. There is also shaved ice like you may see snow cones made from but I'm guessing you're getting nugget ice. I've worked on quite a few Scotsman ice machines that make it. Here's a link to the type of machine that makes the flake/nugget ice:

I have seen ice crushers, and all they do is make smaller pieces. The ice machines at Emory despense ice so soft you can crush it with your thumb.

Metspitzer wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Like a slushie?

Ice "hardness" has a lot to do with what chemical elements are in the water (iron, sulfur, etc). Filtered water will be much harder to crush and clearer, whereas, water with iron will be much softer (to crush) and less clear.

If you're just wanting ice, crushed or solid, most refrigerator/ freezerss can accomidate an ice maker. They aren't very expensive and easy to install.

Good Luck.

Hank

They froze soft water :)

I think I know what you mean. My husband is an ice chewer, but he likes it soft. He fills a glass with the regular hard ice cubes from our dispenser, fills the glass with water and leaves it on the counter for half to one hour. The ice gets much softer, it retains its shape but almost falls apart in your mouth when you start crunching on it. Give this a try.

Denise

I believe these machines aerate the water so it freezes faster, thus resulting in softer ice. Is the ice more like pellets than cubes?

The ones on campus back in college were weird- they formed the ice around tubes, and then somehow slid them off. The ice 'cubes' looked like big short noodles, or chunks thereof. I never got to see the guts of one of the machines, but the ice they made did have that 'soft' consistency.

-- aem sends...

I have seen pellets in some fast food restaurants, and that ice is soft, but the machine I am talking about is even softer.

The machine dispenses ice and water or just ice.

I go for another IV treatment tomorrow. I will get the brand name. The machine they use can not be for home use though. I am guessing it is at least 20A and maybe larger.

The machine is a Scotsman. I couldn't find a nameplate. I did notice that you need water, drain and electrical.

Not something I really care to add. It would be nice in the basement, but too convenient.

They sure do make some delicious ice though.