Home-Ice Comparison: Scotsman Ice Machines vs. Refrigerator Ice

It may come as a surprise, but something as simple as ice can make a real difference to homeowners. Pure, clean ice from an undercounter ice machine offers significant advantages over typical refrigerator ice, providing an unexpected touch of luxury to your kitchen project specification.

Put simply, Scotsman ice is not just different from refrigerator ice… it’s better. It’s an upgrade that homeowners can appreciate every day, in every glass.

Clear Ice vs. Cloudy Ice

The key to creating pure, clear ice begins with how the ice is made. Both an undercounter ice machine and a refrigerator ice maker draw water from a home’s water supply, which contains minerals, fluoride and other impurities. The key to creating Scotsman’s clear ice is removing these impurities with an inverted evaporator system:

  1. Water sprays upward into an inverted evaporator.
  2. Pure water freezes in the evaporator, while impurities are flushed from the system and down the drain.
  3. Clean, pure, gourmet ice cubes collect in the ice bin.

This process ensures perfectly crystal-clear ice cubes, every time.

With refrigerator ice, water with impurities flows directly into an ice-maker tray and freezes into ice cubes. Once it’s frozen, the ice is discharged into the bin. The result: cloudy ice cubes that release impurities as they melt in the beverage.

Always Fresh Ice

Scotsman ice machines offer a factory-installed drain pump that flushes away melted ice from the storage bin so the system can continuously refresh the supply with clean, fresh ice. The ice cubes at the bottom of a refrigerator ice maker’s bin may remain there indefinitely, where they can collect stale odors, tastes and airborne impurities from inside the freezer.

Flavor Matters

Our gourmet, clear ice features a unique shape that resists clumping and is slower to melt, so it cools the beverage without watering down its true flavor. Refrigerator ice, as it melts inside the glass, can impart flavors and odor it has acquired from inside the freezer along with any dissolved impurities from the water, altering the flavor of the drink.

Experience and Reliability

Scotsman brings over 50 years of experience in commercial ice to the home market. Ice machines are the sole focus of our business. We’ve received ISO Certification for the past 20 years in a row, and have been named one of the top manufacturers in the USA by Industry Week magazine. Scotsman Brilliance ® cube and nugget ice machines bring the experience of restaurant-quality ice to the home, adding refreshment to every glass.

To learn more about our Gourmet Cube Ice Machines