A crushed ice maker turns ice into flakes for snow cones. A motor with blades grinds the ice into small chips, ideal for syrup. Shaved ice makers are often confused with snow cone makers, but they work differently. Shaved ice treats are popular worldwide, and residential shaved ice makers are easy to use and affordable.
A crushed ice maker is a device that turns large blocks or small cubes of ice into flakes. Chunks of crushed ice are usually used to create artificially made treats often called snow cones. A crushed ice maker works the same way as a regular ice maker, only the process result of the machine is different.
When ice is placed in a crushed ice maker, a motor equipped with blades finely grinds the ice into small chips. These shavings are ideal for any artificial syrup that can be poured over them, as the syrup tends to stick to finely crushed ice. In one hour, an industrial crushed ice maker can grind nearly 500 pounds (226.79 kg) of ice. Residential shaved ice makers don’t grind as much ice as industrial machines, but they do grind enough ice to make a good amount of frozen treats.
The shaved ice maker is often confused with the snow cone maker, although the two machines don’t work the same way. A snow cone maker grinds large blocks of ice into thin pieces that resemble ice or snowballs. When artificial syrup is added to ice created by a snow cone maker, the syrup automatically sinks to the bottom of the snow cone socket.
Shaved ice is largely associated with Hawaii, as shaved ice treats are popular throughout Hawaii, even though the first shaved ice maker was invented in New Orleans. A man named Ernest Hansen developed the first motorized shaved ice maker in 1934. Before Hansen’s invention, street vendors chipped and shaved ice by hand from large blocks. When Hansen’s invention was introduced, many street vendors gave up the hand-chipping method for the handy shaved ice maker.
Today, shaved ice treats can be found all over the world. Nearly every country has some form of shaved ice cream, though these syrupy snacks tend to have different names based on geographic location. Snow cones come in different flavors and sizes, though the recipe for a basic snow cone remains the same.
Those looking to make snow cones at home can purchase shaved ice makers from a few manufacturers online or through specialty kitchen supply stores. Residential shaved ice makers are relatively inexpensive as well as being easy to use. Industrial shaved ice machines tend to be more expensive than residential machines, although the return on investment is often worth the initial price.
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