Dimensions: 10″ W X 17″ D x 17″ H
Ice manufacturing: As much as 44 kilos of nugget ice in 24 hours
If you wish to save much more cash, you will get a smaller (barely much less good wanting, in my view) model of Newair’s nugget ice maker. This machine opens on prime and resembles cheaper bullet ice makers, nevertheless it nonetheless produces Newair’s crunchy pellety nugget ice.
Dimensions: 11.3″ W X 8.7″ D x 12.7″ H
Ice manufacturing: As much as 26 kilos of ice in 24 hours
What to purchase for those who simply want a number of additional ice: Get a bullet ice maker
One attention-grabbing factor I realized diving deep into the world of countertop ice makers: Should you’re not shopping for a specialty ice machine that makes nuggets or clear ice cubes, the remaining are all just about the identical. They’re all compact bullet ice makers with the identical ice-making capabilities, practically equivalent physique kinds, they usually all price lower than $200—and sometimes lower than $100.
These are actually moveable ice makers: small and light-weight sufficient to pack within the automotive for a weekend on the lake and to tuck away in a closet till your subsequent celebration. Additionally they work rapidly by freezing water round little metallic prongs and might begin producing bullet-shaped ice cubes inside 10 minutes of setup.
Whereas bullet ice, which is mostly a bit larger, much less symmetrical, and considerably tougher than nugget ice, has by no means gotten the web adulation of the latter, it is fairly gentle and chewy in comparison with what you get from an ice dice tray as a result of it’s made rapidly and never frozen strong. So for those who simply need to be sure to at all times have sufficient ice for cooling your drinks, and also you’re not choosy about what sort of ice it’s, these machines are all so related that you simply actually can simply select one based mostly on shade or end. That mentioned, they’re all barely completely different sizes (all famous under) so for those who’re tremendous brief on house, go for the Newair, which is the smallest of the three really useful under.
Frigidaire Compact Ice Maker
Center of the highway by way of measurement, this one from Frigidaire permits you to test how a lot ice you could have through a transparent door on prime of the machine. It’s straightforward to make use of and simple to scrub; you merely take away a plug on the underside of the machine to empty and rinse the water reservoir.
Dimensions: 11” W x 17.8” D x 14.9″ H
Ice manufacturing: As much as 26 kilos of ice in 24 hours
Newair Moveable Countertop Ice Maker
Should you merely need probably the most compact countertop ice maker, select this bullet ice maker from Newair, which is the smallest one I’ve examined. It has a footprint of 8.74” x 12.32” and it’s simply over a foot tall.
Dimensions: 8.74” W x 12.32” D x 12.6″ H
Ice manufacturing functionality: As much as 26 kilos of ice in 24 hours
Igloo Automated Moveable Electrical Countertop Ice Maker Machine
That is the largest of the three bullet ice makers I examined, however for those who’re on the lookout for an inexpensive countertop ice maker with a bit retro aptitude, you may desire this retro bullet ice maker from Igloo.
Dimensions: 12.25″ W, 17.25″ D, and 14.75″ H
Ice manufacturing functionality: As much as 26 kilos of ice in 24 hours
Are there any good clear ice makers?
The clear ice cubes you get in good bars and eating places sometimes come from large, prohibitively costly machines like Clinebells. Something you could have at house might be a compromise in high quality in comparison with that, however you might contemplate this extra diminutive clear ice maker from Newair. All clear ice machines work by constructing the ice cubes in layers to stop air bubbles. These bubbles are what make different ice cloudy, but in addition chompable. So clear ice, whereas stunning, isn’t as enjoyable (or secure) to chew as nugget ice or bullet ice. However for those who’re extra involved with aesthetics than texture, I assumed the ice readability from Newair’s clear ice dice maker (previously referred to as the Luma Consolation) was fairly good.
Dimensions: 12.25″ W, 17.25″ D, and 14.75″ H
Ice manufacturing functionality: As much as 45 kilos ice in 24 hours
Do you have to care about what number of kilos of ice your ice maker can produce?
Should you’ve browsed countertop ice makers in any respect, you’ve doubtless observed that every product description claims quite a lot of kilos of ice that the machine could make. Except you’re making an attempt to maintain a physique on ice otherwise you’ve turned your spare bed room right into a speakeasy, you don’t want to fret about this quantity. That’s as a result of all it tells you is what the machine may, theoretically, produce in 24 hours. And that form of ice manufacturing would solely be doable for those who fully emptied the machine as quickly as a batch of ice was prepared and ensured the water reservoir was continually crammed. The possibilities you’ll ever trouble with all which might be mainly zero, so it shouldn’t matter when you have a 24-pound ice machine or a 26-pound ice machine.
How we chosen and examined countertop ice makers
I primarily targeted right here on the 2 hottest kinds of countertop ice makers: nugget ice makers and bullet ice makers. Financially talking, that interprets to costly ice makers and low cost ice makers—as a result of the kind of ice you get from a countertop ice maker is immediately associated to how a lot you’re prepared to spend. And after totally testing ice makers for Epicurious in 2023, I realized that whereas all bullet ice makers are created virtually too equally (extra on that under), the identical can’t be mentioned for nugget ice makers.
