Although the refrigerators at our homes are capable of making enough ice on their own. But, what if you are hosting a big housewarming party and don’t have enough to cater for all? Here, a reliable and affordable ice maker can save your day!
The following article reviews the best nugget ice makers and discusses their features and functionality. Plus, our bonus guide will help you clean the ice maker in no time.
The 5 Best Nugget Ice Makers for 2024 Reviews
Consider portable ice makers as a one-time investment that allows you to make bar-quality crystal clear ice. Read along to learn about the best ice maker for home.
Best Overall Nugget Ice Maker: GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker
If you love hosting cocktail parties at home, the GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker is one of the best countertop ice makers. It comes with a considerable capacity to make one pound of ice in just one hour. Moreover, you can use the mobile app to schedule ice-making.
The transparent front window allows you to watch the satisfying ice-making process. Another distinct feature of this sturdy ice maker is the stainless steel body, with LED lighting and gray accents.
The total weight of the ice maker is 47 pounds, and it comes with an ice storage capacity of three pounds.
You can make ice using the GE Profile Opal ice maker in the following three ways:
- Nugget ice
- Pellet ice
- Drive-in ice
It’s undoubtedly one of the best nugget ice makers that offers a total capacity of making 24 pounds of ice per day. Furthermore, it starts making ice after 20 minutes of the initial start-up.
Another advantage of using the GE profile OPal ice maker is its Bluetooth compatibility that allows you to schedule the ice-making from your smartphone or device. Moreover, the sensing feature notifies you when the bucket is full.
If you forget to remove the ice from the reservoir, the ice melts, and water returns to the reservoir. This way, you don’t waste any water during the ice-making process.
Best Countertop Ice Maker: Igloo Automatic Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine
With a total capacity of making 26 pounds of ice per day, the Igloo Automatic Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker Machine is one of the best home ice makers available in the market. This elegant and compact ice maker comes with a water tank capacity of three quarts and an ice basket capacity of two pounds.
One of the distinct features of the Igloo Automatic ice maker is that it can make nine cylinder-shaped ice cubes in seven minutes, which is incredible.
Unlike the previously reviewed ice maker, it comes with a closed stainless steel body and a transparent lid. It means you can view the ice-making process from above.
You can conveniently remove the ice basket to transfer the ice cubes to the bucket. Moreover, the drain plug allows you to remove the water from the machine when not in use.
The intuitive control panel is easy to use with straightforward controls. Furthermore, the controls come with illuminating LEDs to confirm the preference. For instance, you can use the select button to choose the size of the ice cubes as small or large. Moreover, the LEDs automatically illuminate if the ice bucket is full or requires more water.
The Igloo Automatic ice maker machine features a state-of-the-art compressor cooling system without freon or harsh chemical refrigerants.
Best Budget Ice Maker for Home: Countertop Ice Maker Machine
The Countertop Ice Maker Machine is one of the best ice makers, courtesy of its quiet and efficient ice-making operation to make nine ice cubbies within six to eight minutes.
Furthermore, this sturdy ice maker can make 26.5 pounds of ice per day, which is the maximum among the already-reviewed ice makers. The efficient compressor of this best residential ice maker has a noise level of fewer than 45 decibels.
The Countertop ice maker machine has a user-friendly control panel consisting of ON/OFF and select buttons. Moreover, you can see different indicators: adding water, ice full, power, small, and large.
All you need to do is to add water, use the select button to choose the ice cubes’ size, and you are done. This automatic ice maker stops making ice once the “Ice full” LED lights up.
This advanced ice maker has high-tech features, such as a high-speed exhaust fan, a drain plug, and pure copper columns.
Best Portable Ice Maker: Igloo Automatic Self-Cleaning Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker
As the name suggests, the Igloo Automatic Self-Cleaning Portable Electric Countertop Ice Maker is one of the best portable ice makers, courtesy of the included handle.
This reliable ice maker outshines the rest of the ice maker machines with its self-cleaning feature. It means you no longer need to clean the Igloo ice maker machine because of the automatic five-cycle cleaning function.
This portable ice maker can store up to 1.25 pounds of ice, which is less storage capacity than the ice makers reviewed above. Nonetheless, the lesser storage capacity makes it convenient for you to place it anywhere in the home. Moreover, the water tank features a capacity of two quarts.
You can make 26 pounds of ice daily using the Igloo Automatic Self-Cleaning ice maker. Furthermore, it makes nine large or small ice cubes in just seven minutes.
You can remove the ice basket to transfer the ice cubes. The drain plug, available at the bottom, allows you to remove the excess water when the ice maker isn’t in use.
If your kids are in the teething period, you can use the Igloo Automatic Self-Cleaning ice maker to make chewable ice cream that’s soft on the gums.
Best Commercial Ice Maker: Euhomy Commercial Ice Maker Machine
The Euhomy Commercial Ice Maker Machine is an enormous ice maker machine capable of making 100 pounds of ice daily. It’s essentially a commercial ice maker machine that can store up to 33 pounds of ice. Furthermore, the automatic overflow prevention feature doesn’t let the ice cubes overflow the storage reservoir.
The smart LCD panel includes all the necessary controls to operate the Euhomy ice maker machine. Not only that, but you can see the surrounding temperature on the panel to ensure the safety and efficiency of the ice maker. You can also adjust the size of the cubes and change the ice-making time.
Furthermore, you can see the clean button on the panel to automatically clean the ice maker machine.
Don’t worry; the Euhomy Commercial ice maker is an energy-efficient and noiseless appliance that helps you save the electricity bill.
Additional Notes: You can read about the best ice cream makers and best stand mixers of 2024.
How to Clean Ice Maker
You can’t keep pouring water in the ice maker for weeks and months without cleaning it as it leads to the buildup along the wall sides. Additionally, it also leads to an unpleasant odor in the ice maker.
Unplug the Cable
First, you must switch off the ice maker and remove the cord from the electrical outlet for your protection and safety. The next step is to remove the basket and scoop from the ice maker machine, and wash gently using soapy water.
How to Make Cleaning Solution
It’s better to make a DIY cleaning solution at home without using harsh chemical cleaners. The best organic cleaner readily available in every household is white vinegar.
The recipe to make the cleaning solution is straightforward. All you need to do is use equal parts of vinegar and water. For instance, if you take one cup of vinegar, you must take one cup of water.
Next, you need to mix water and vinegar and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. One important thing to note here is that this solution cleans the machine’s interior and not the exterior.
A pro tip: It’s better to use distilled or filtered water to make the cleaning solution. Similarly, you should use filtered water instead of tap water to make the ice to prevent the buildup of deposits inside the machine.
You can spray the cleaning solution on the interior of the ice maker machine and use a clean cloth, such as a microfiber cloth, to gently scrub the inside walls and bottom. Furthermore, you can spray on all the corners of the machine to clean them thoroughly. You can also use a toothbrush to reach difficult places.
Lastly, add the solution to the ice maker, switch it on to make ice. This process descales the machine and removes the deposits in the lines. It’s essential to descale the machines twice or thrice a year.
You can remove the ice made from the cleaning solution, discard it, add clean water to the reservoir and make ice twice to get rid of the vinegar taste.
Conclusion
You no longer need to run to the store to get a bag of ice while hosting a barbecue party at home. Instead, you can make a one-time good investment in buying any of the above best portable ice makers.
The key takeaway of the above article is to review the best countertop ice makers available in the market. You can evaluate your ice cubes requirement and select any of the above ice makers.
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