Purchasing commercial kitchen equipment can be challenging, long and extremely exhausting if you don't know what type of ice maker, freezer, refrigerator, or other restaurant unit you require. This section was made to steer you in the correct direction. Prior to searching for ice makers you should to realize that ice makers, dispensers, ice cube machines, nugget or chewable ice makers, and flake ice machines all have similar central feature, ant it is ice production, but they all make various kinds of ice. Ice can come in different shape, texture or size, and various applications will require specific ice.
There are two main categories of commercial ice making equipment: water cooled and air cooled. Presently, there are many commercial kitchen equipment manufacturers which build commercial ice machines, but few of the top and well recognized are: Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, and Follett.
Ice makers with water cooling systems are generally less noisy than the ones with air cooling and can efficiently function in very hot environment, but ice makers equipped with air cooling is usually more energy efficient and their operating expense is lower. The main drawback of water cooled units is the water use.
Before getting an ice maker you must determine dimensions of the unit that can fit in your area and the ice making capability that you require. If you would like to get an ice machine for home or office use than you should consider 14″ to 22″ wide units with the ice making ability of 65lb per day. This amount should be sufficient for home/office use. 
For dining establishments it is suggested to get 30″ to 48″ wide ice making machines that can make 300-450lb of ice per day, based on the quantity of people and rate of consumption.
Additional factors are the form, texture and size of the ice you looking to get. Flake ice makers produce ice that is recommended for drinks, and other types of ice machines create big cubes. Ice dispensers or Units that make flakes are typically utilized in workplaces or medium sized firms. You should also get water filter which is appropriate for your ice machine. It will filter water, eliminate unpleasant odors and produce better looking ice cubes.
