Flake ice may not be on your radar–but it should be! Although not the typical ice one would choose to accompany a sweet tea or tall glass of water, flake ice has some major advantages that you should know about if you’re in the market for a new ice machine.
What exactly is flake ice?
Flake ice can take many forms. It can be a little undefined because its use varies from industry to industry as the flake ice is catered to each individual need. Typically, flake iced can be generally defined as dry, flakey, irregularly shaped ice. It can come in the form of ultra-thin flakes, like the texture you’d find in an Italian snowcone, or it can be slightly more voluminous, like what you might find the broccoli sitting in at your local grocery store. If you see ice that seems flakey or thin, chances are you’ve got flake ice!
Flake ice, unlike other types of ice, can be shaped and molded into just about anything. With its snow-like consistency, it will easily take on any shape. Most importantly, flake ice gets things cold and keeps them cold better than other forms of ice. The beauty of flake ice is its versatility and its ability to be molded to many different needs spanning several industries.
How does it work?
Although flake ice may seem small and fragile (it does melt rather quickly!), it packs a big punch. If it melts quickly, though, how is it such a good choice? Shouldn’t ice stay ice?
Since flake ice is thin, it also contains much more surface area than other ice choices. Given its larger surface area, this ice is better at extracting heat from whatever it sitting on top of it, and therefore melts quicker than a block might. The faster it melts, the faster it’s pulling heat away from your product, making it very efficient.
What industries is flake ice good for?
Due to its versatility, flake ice makes an appearance in a wide variety of settings, ranging from butcher shops, grocery stores, hospitals, and physical therapist offices. Due to its power to hold and maintain cold temperatures for long periods of time, it’s the beloved choice of any good butcher or fishmonger. Likewise, if you crack open a truck transporting fresh vegetables, you can bet that the goods will be perfectly nestled in beds of flake ice.
What are the advantages of flake ice?
Flake ice has a plethora of advantages, making it an extremely versatile choice. These advantages include:
Super cold! Obviously, it’s ice. However, flake ice’s ability to hold the cold and cool things down quickly is truly one of its biggest distinguishers from other types of ice.
Protection. While this ice not only cools, it also has the ability to pack and protect. Since it’s so easy to form, this ice can be molded around products to keep them cool while also protecting them from any accidental damage.
Great for medical use. As we mentioned before, flake ice is the go-to for hospitals and physical therapy clinics. Due to its ideal surface area, flake ice is great at pulling away heat from afflicted areas on the body. Likewise, due to its shape and lack of edges, flake ice is great for cold compress bags, as it won’t puncture bags as other shapes do.
Wanna know more?
Tune in later this week to learn a little more about why flake ice is so special and how flake ice machines work!
Call us
Although there’s much to be discussed about flake ice, we hope that this introduction to this special type of ice can help you start off on the right foot when choosing the right style and machine for your home or business. Have questions or need recommendations? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Tri-Point Refrigeration so we can help you along the way. We’re excited to hear from you, and with regular servicing, we can keep your equipment running smoothly and healthily, while also extending the reach of your dollar.
For a direct line to any of our employees ready on the line to help you, please call…(512) 651-4565 for our Austin, Texas community (806) 686-0050 for our Lubbock, Texas community. Or check out our website at https://www.tripointrefrigeration.com