Ice – water that is frozen into a solid state, which can appear a transparent or opaque bluish colour depending on the presence of impurities. Simple enough right? Then how complicated can an ice machine possibly be? In goes the water and out it comes, frozen in a solid state, right? Not entirely, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this piece of machinery. Firstly, did you know that if not used and taken care of correctly, your ice machine can become a breeding ground for bacteria such as salmonella, e. coli and cholera to name a few.
Each ice machine is different and comes with its own set of instructions on how to use and care for it. This however is a general guideline.
Temperature is important
There is no perfect “ice producing” temperature, but, an ice machine that is operating at its optimum level should be and maintain a 0◦C temperature. There should never be any temperature fluctuations that cause ice to melt and stick together as this encourages the growth of bacteria causing germs. Other important factors to take into consideration include the amount of ice your machine can make, and amount of time required to make said ice. Always ask yourself, how much ice you need versus how much ice your machine can generate and how long will it take to make the ice and always factor in the time it takes for your machine to recoup.
If you want to keep bacteria like salmonella, cholera, etc. at bay; it is as easy as following these simple set of guidelines:
The Guide:
- Wash your hand thoroughly – like with any other piece of kitchen equipment, ensure that you wash your hands before taking ice or just handling the ice machine itself.
- Never touch the ice with your bare hands – When you cannot find the scoop you may be tempted to just grab a few ice cubes with your hands. Don’t!
- Hold the handle of the scoop only – Always ensure that you don’t touch the part of the scoop that goes into the machine to retrieve the ice,
- Never return unused ice – So you’ve taken more ice cubes than you initially thought you needed, the next thing you may want to do is to throw it right back in to the ice maker. Don’t! throw any unused ice out.
- Clean your scoop – make sure that you wash your scoop on a daily basis.
- Storage – Your ice machine is made to make and store ice. Never store any food items inside it.
Taking care of your ice machine will ensure that it is always working at its optimum levels. For more information on ice machines or to get your own ice machine call Scotmans today
