My family goes through a lot of ice, most especially in the hot summer months. We do keep water in the fridge at all time so there is always something cold to drink. However there are times when we need ice to chill our beverages. I like my ice tea super cold.
I also crave ice. Its called Pagophagia. It’s a form of Pica. It all has to do with my iron deficiency anemia. I’m severely anemic (both Iron and B-12 – but it’s the iron deficiency that causes the Pagophagia). I am suppose to get yearly IV infusions (iron) but they are costly and I don’t always have the $$$ to cover them. I usually need 8-12 weeks worth (one per week). With a $40 co-pay EACH TIME, plus 20% of the over all cost EACH TIME, it’s very expensive. So until I can afford my treatments I deal with the ice cravings.
We have tried to make ice with ice trays but my family goes through so many of them it’s impossible to keep up. Not to mention it takes many hours for ice to form. Normally we just buy bags of ice from the grocery store. Not only does it cost upwards of $3 a bag, you also don’t know how long the ice has been sitting around or what contaminants may have got on the ice. Several times I have had to return bag of ice because I find small holes in the bags. Ewww!!! How do we know that a mouse didn’t step on the bag or someone sneezed on it and the germs fell on the exposed ice. It makes me sick just thinking about it.
One time I went to pick up ice and saw the store clerk loading the freezer where the ice was kept. I actually saw him put the bags of ice on the floor and step on them with his boot to break the ice up! This is ice that people put in their drinks! That is disgusting (I did tell the store manager about that).
Personally I think the best kind of ice is the kind you make yourself because you know it’s fresh and clean. As I mentioned, making ice in your freezer takes several hours, not to mention space in your freezer for all the ice cube trays.
Newair has the perfect solution for your ice needs. They offer several different types of portable ice makers. That’s right – PORTABLE!
I received the NewAir AI-215SS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker to review. I can’t tell you how excited I was for it to arrive.
I must tell you that the Newair AI-215 Portable Ice Maker is HUGE. Much bigger then I expected. It also weighs close to 40 pounds.
Setting up the ice maker was super easy. The first thing you need to do is clean out the unit with a solution of vinegar and water (1:1 ratio). Easy enough. You also need to run through some clean water too to flush out any left over vinegar. This whole process took me about a half hour. After that the unit was all set and ready to go.
Making ice is as simple as filling up the “well” in the ice maker with clean, fresh water. Once it’s filled you plug the unit it, turn it on, select your ice size and start the process. Within about a minute the machine was already starting to make ice. In fact, the small size ice took around 7 minutes to make from start to finish. The larger pieces took over 10+ minutes. You get 12 pieces of ice per cycle. That doesn’t sound like much but it adds up quickly. That amounts to roughly 72 pieces of ice an hour. That is A LOT of ice.
I peeked inside the machine to see how it made ice so quickly. Inside you’ll see 12 metal “fingers” (for lack of a better description). A small tray fills with water and the “fingers” dip into the tray. The “fingers” must be super cold because ice quickly starts to form around them. After a few minutes the water from the tray drains back into the machine and all you see is the “finger” with ice on the ends. I’m assuming that they fingers must warm up quickly because the ice quickly falls off of them and is scooped up by a rake that deposits the ice into the removable ice cube tray. From there you can scoop up the ice that you need with the included ice scoop.
There is a built in sensor that knows when the ice cube tray is filled up and the machine will stop producing ice so that it doesn’t over flow.
The ice that is produced from the machine has a bullet shape to it and is hollow in the middle. The ice is also what I’d like to call “soft ice”. If you happen to chew on ice you’ll find that it’s not as hard as the ice you’d make in ice cube trays in the freezer. I actually prefer the softer ice.
You can leave the ice in the AI-215 Portable Ice Maker, or you can put it in a freezer bag. Please note that the ice might stick together a bit in the freezer but a simple whack with with a wooden spoon (I use the bottom of a plastic cup) will separate them again.
The machine is remarkably quiet. I thought it would be very loud. It’s not. It’s no louder then a regular house fan for the most part.
On the side of the unit is a small plug that allows you to drain the water after cleaning or if you need to refresh the water. To open the plug you need to twist off the cap and then pop off the small rubber piece. Please note – make sure you put the rubber piece and the cap back on the machine BEFORE filling it up with water. I totally forget to do that and when I pour water into the machine the water shot out the side and got all over the place.
Some people might question why you would need a portable ice maker. I think this machine is perfect for RV’s and camping (providing you have a power hook up). I also think it would be great for tailgating parties too (with a power hook up). This would also be handy to have on hand if you have a party or barbecue where you need a steady stream of ice available for your guests. Although it’s heavy you can still set up the AI-215 Portable Ice Maker anywhere in your home. You can also store it away if you don’t need it all the time. Just be sure to drain out the water and dry it first.
The Portable Ice Maker uses a regular outset so it can be set up just about anywhere.
Other key features about the Newair AI-215 Portable Ice Maker include:
- 18 hour timer for on-time ice production
- Three ice sizes to choose from
- LCD display makes operating this machine easy
- Can produce up to 50 POUNDS of ice per day
- The AI-215 is available in Stainless Steel or Red
- Handles to help with carrying the unit
- See through window on top so you can see how much ice you have made
If you would like more information about the Newair AI-215 visit www.Newair.com. You can find this and other ice makers under “Products” and then under “Home Appliances”. While you are there check out the other appliances they carry.
You can also find Newair on Facebook and Twitter.
Overall I am very pleased with the ice maker. It makes fresh, clean ice in a matter of minutes. It is also very easy to use and I cannot wait to take full advantage of it at a family gathering or party.
The only “downside” to the unit is that it’s very large and heavy. While it is portable, you might want to keep it’s size and shape in mind. It’s also not easy to find a place to put it, unless you have a home bar or a large kitchen with a lot of counter space. It’s also not “budget friendly”. I’ve seen it selling for anywhere from $170 – $299. If you have a nice for ice then this is certainly a great investment and in the long run will save you time (making ice at home in the freezer) and money (buying bagged ice).
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Shop with Me Mama says
Oh, I like that! When I was pregnant I craved ice all the time. This would have come in handy!!!