The Japanese are much more technologically advanced and innovative than the rest of the world. You name the product and they have a model that is better designed, functionally superior and definitely more creative than the rest. For instance, in Japan, there is one vending machine for every 23 people (it has the highest number of vending machines per capita). One may ask as to what is so special about having high number of vending machines; well these are no ordinary machines. The usual machines dispense chocolates, water bottles, ice, soft drinks, soda, or beer. The machines in Japan dispense eggs, umbrellas, instant noodles, flowers, neckties, sneakers, vegetables, batteries, and even live lobsters! They have it all. This is all for commercial purposes, if we narrow down to domestic consumption, ice vending machines have been a part of refrigerators for a long time now. It is only recently that they have been made specifically to dispense ice. For instance, in 1844, John Gorrie - an American physician, built a refrigerator that produced ice. During this period, bad air was considered to be the cause for many diseases and the ice produced served to cool the air down. The ice dispensed from the refrigerator was hung from a ceiling in a basin, to cool down room temperature. Initially invented for health reasons, the ice vending machine saw great changes over time. Today, it is used to cool drinks and store food and is considered as a luxury novelty product. Find below, some of the aspects that you need to consider while buying an ice vending machine for your kitchen or bar.
How To Choose Ice Vending Machines For Your Kitchen & Bar
- One of the aspects that you need to consider is the amount of ice you require. It is best to go to a store and find out the capacity of a typical five-pound bag of ice. This will help you estimate how much ice you need to make from your icemaker. You do not want a situation wherein you have shortage of ice in spite of owning an ice vending machine.
- In general, for home use, the capacity required is 10 oz. per 20 oz drink and 6 oz. per 12 oz. drink. In a bar or lounge, the capacity required is usually 3lbs per customer or user.
- After you have zeroed in on the capacity of ice-vending amchine, is the time to go to the market and explore the options available. Go for the one that suits your capacity needs and falls within your budget as well.
Tips
- You also have to remember that an ice vending machine is not a freezer. Therefore, you have to make arrangements for storing the ice produced.
- It is also very important to keep the ice maker clean ;otherwise the ice produced in it will start to taste and smell bad. Non-toxic cleaners are good to clean its insides and even lemon juice works wonders.
- Once in a while, ventilate the ice-maker by keeping the lid open and allowing sunlight to help in disinfecting.
- After every use, wash the insides with soap, rinse with water, keep lid open and allow sunlight to dry. Added to this, it is advisable to place a mesh on top, to keep twigs, leaves and cats out. If you follow this, you will be sweet smelling ice for your next party.
Why To Buy Ice Vending machine
There are many reasons to buy an ice vending machine for your home or personal bar. For starters, you do not want to run to the store every time you run out ice in between a party.Moreover, having your personal ice vending machine is helpful in keeping your drinks chilled when you have an outdoor barbeque party. If you decide to go for a day trip, sailing or camping, you can save time by filling your machine with ice, food and drinks before leaving, rather than hunting for a store to buy ice. It also comes in handy when you go fishing, to keep the caught fish fresh.