Ice Maker - Cheap!

[Digger]

Anyone had success with an Ice Maker machine at home.

This one will only be for me & wondering how good they are at the cheapest end of the market - eg this Amazon model below.

Other recommendations welcome. . .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D47BHCVQ/

[Car bon]

What's your actual requirement ?

They're OK for parties where you need a constant supply of ice without needing to store it. However, generally don't keep the ice frozen once it's made, so you either use it or harvest it & put it in a freezer - though it may make new ice from the melted water.....

[Digger]

Only really for several cold drinks of an evening when I get home from work or play.

[craigjm]

Digger said:

Only really for several cold drinks of an evening when I get home from work or play.

you would probably be better off getting some decent ice cube trays / moulds / bags to put in the freezer for that level of use. As above these are only really useful if you need lots of ice very often. Drinks for 2-3 people every night you would be using it about once a month

[Car bon]

If you have the freezer space, I'd just get these -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Freezer-Containe...

[Defcon5]

I just buy bags of ice cubes from the shop. I like the large posh ones

[BoRED S2upid]

£100 for another gadget or a lifetime supply of ice cube bags. How much ice do you actually need in a Whiskey?

[sherman]

All the supermarkets sell icecube bags in with the the sandwich bags and clingfilm section.
Easy to fill and dont spill in the freezer.

Ice machines are a pain to keep clean and go mouldy very quickly.

[Digger]

Defcon5 said:

I just buy bags of ice cubes from the shop. I like the large posh ones

Yeah I buy the Sainsburys big boys too - problem is that it takes up half my tiny freezer's space which I'd rather use for other stuff.

Maybe I should buy a small countertop freezer instead

[craigjm]

BoRED S2upid said:

£100 for another gadget or a lifetime supply of ice cube bags. How much ice do you actually need in a Whiskey?

I would rather use a stone in whiskey than tap water ice

[Digger]

sherman said:

All the supermarkets sell icecube bags in with the the sandwich bags and clingfilm section.
Easy to fill and dont spill in the freezer.

Ice machines are a pain to keep clean and go mouldy very quickly.

Good point & will check in Sainsburys later. Thanks.

[Car bon]

You can buy big cube trays that take up relatively little space.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Square-Ice-Cube-Tra...

[DirktheDaring]

I drink 3 or 4 litres of ice cold water a day from my fake Stanley mug thing.

I use the big cubes, there’s 6 in a tray and I have 4 trays that don’t take up too much room and by the time you’ve used them all up the first 6 of ready to go again.

Ticent & Co Ice Cube Trays - Large 2 inch Square Silicone Ice Cube Mould for Whiskey Cocktails, Pack of 2 (Black) https://amzn.eu/d/aOdv5Sv

[Car bon]

craigjm said:

BoRED S2upid said:

£100 for another gadget or a lifetime supply of ice cube bags. How much ice do you actually need in a Whiskey?

I would rather use a stone in whiskey than tap water ice

You have the choice of which water you use....

Or just keep your whisky in the fridge & drink it faster

[craigjm]

Car bon said:

craigjm said:

BoRED S2upid said:

£100 for another gadget or a lifetime supply of ice cube bags. How much ice do you actually need in a Whiskey?

I would rather use a stone in whiskey than tap water ice

You have the choice of which water you use....

Or just keep your whisky in the fridge & drink it faster

Thats true, ice made from filtered or bottled water is much better. As for keeping it in the fridge.......

[21TonyK]

My experience of *all* ice machines are they are a PITA to keep clean (and therefore safe).

Only time I really find them useful is for cooking where I have big commercial machines, at home I had a polar semi-commercial machine which I ended up donating/exporting to a relative in Spain where it gets used all day.

Few bags of ice from the supermarket at the weekend is my normal optiion in the summer.

[hidetheelephants]

Digger said:

Anyone had success with an Ice Maker machine at home.

This one will only be for me & wondering how good they are at the cheapest end of the market - eg this Amazon model below.

Other recommendations welcome. . .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D47BHCVQ/

They work fine, if attempting to make a lot of ice for a party you'll need to empty it into a bag and store in a freezer every couple of cycles as the bucket won't be very big(quite tedious if you need a large amount), if storing the machine for any length of time empty the water out and make sure it's dry first as it will go mouldy if not. Buying bagged ice may be a better idea for a one-off big party.

[Digger]

I think the fillable ice bags from the supermarket might be the best bet-

I normally buy a bag of ice cubes & empty in to a foil tray & put in the tiny freezer.

Edited by Digger on Wednesday 5th June 19:40

[dickymint]

I hate ice..........it killed my Grandfather!

[sherman]

dickymint said:

I hate ice..........it killed my Grandfather!

Ok.
How?