The ice-ing on the Christmas cake!

Christmas ice checklist from Ice-O-Matic

Pubs and bars are going to see a soar in trade as customers celebrate the festive season. The ice machine will be working overtime so it needs to be reliable and up to the job. Classeq, which supplies Ice-O-Matic ice machines to the hospitality sector, has put together a checklist to help ensure ice and drinks continue to flow during Christmas and the New Year.

• Check that the output of your machine will cope with the peaks in demand for ice over Christmas.
• Make sure the capacity of the ice storage bin is big enough to store the required amount of ice. Larger ice storage bins can be teamed with smaller modular machines to store more ice on a smaller footprint.
• In the run up to Christmas make sure the machine’s servicing is up to date and that it has been regularly cleaned. If not, now is the time to do it so that it is in optimum working condition. As ice is a food product the machines need to
  be cleaned and sanitised regularly to meet food hygiene requirements.
• If you are considering buying a new machine, get one that can cope in your busiest times, whenever that may be, not just at Christmas. Classeq suggests using the Ice Type Wizard and Machine Size Calculator on the Ice-O-Matic website, www.iceomatic.com, to get an initial idea of what’s available.

Handy back-bar machines, such as the Ice-O-Matic ICE series undercounter models, have integral storage bins to keep ice ready for busy periods. The front venting air intake and exhaust allow for installation in the tightest of spaces, since they don’t need a gap at the side of the machine – making the ICE series perfect for back-bar use.  Production capacities of these Classeq Ice-O-Matic undercounter machines run from 19kg up to 118kg a day, with integral storage of up to 51kgs.

Classeq also supply larger, high production ice makers, such as the modular Ice-O-Matic 1405. Measuring 1219mm wide x 610mm deep x 66mm high, it can produce up to 574kg of ice cubes per day.

Ice-O-Matic ice machines are hygienic and easy to keep clean with removable key parts and AgION antibacterial compound, which reduces the growth of harmful bacteria and maintains food safety between cleaning cycles.

Ice-O-Matic machines and storage bins are distributed in the UK by Classeq, part of the Winterhalter UK group. The Ice-O-Matic range includes the ICE Series cube ice machines, which make premium quality cube and half cube ice; flake ice machines, producing high quality flake ice suitable for medical use or for presentation and preservation of fresh meat, poultry and fish, and, pearl ice machines, producing soft,  chewable ice crystals. Ice-O-Matic machines are available as modular machines with separate storage bins or as self-contained machines with inbuilt storage.

For information on the Classeq Ice-O-Matic range of ice machines, including details of your nearest stockist, call 0844 225 9249, see www.classeq.co.uk  or email feedback@classeq.co.uk