A shaved ice machine turns ice cubes into shaved ice.
A shaved ice machine is a device that turns large blocks or small cubes of ice into chips. Shaved ice chips are often used to create artificially flavored treats, often called snow cones. A shaved ice machine works the same way as a regular ice machine, only the result of the machine process is different.
When ice is fed into a crushed ice machine, a motor equipped with blades finely crushes the ice into small pieces. These chips are ideal for any artificial syrup that can be poured over them, as the syrup tends to stick to well-shaved ice. In one hour, an industrial shaved ice machine can crush almost 500 pounds (226.79 kg) of ice. Home shaved ice machines don’t grind as much ice as industrial machines, but they do grind enough ice to make a good batch of frozen treats.
A New Orleans inventor patented the first ice block cutter used for snow cones.
The shaved ice machine is often confused with the snow cone machine, although the two machines do not work the same way. A snow cone maker crushes large blocks of ice into thin pieces that resemble balls of ice or snow. When artificial syrup is added to ice created from a snow cone maker, the syrup automatically sinks to the bottom of the snow cone container.
Shaved ice is widely associated with Hawaii, as shaved ice treats are popular throughout Hawaii, although the first shaved ice machine was invented in New Orleans. A man named Ernest Hansen developed the first motorized shaved ice machine in 1934. Before Hansen’s invention, ice was manually cut and shaved into large blocks by street vendors. When Hansen’s invention was introduced, many street vendors abandoned the manual chipping method for the handy shaved ice machine.
Today, shaved ice treats can be found all over the world. Almost every country has some type of shaved ice cream, although these syrupy snacks tend to have different names depending on geographic location. Snow cones come in many different flavors and sizes, although the recipe for a basic snow cone remains the same.
Those who want to make snow cones at home can purchase shaved ice makers from certain manufacturers online or at specialty kitchen supply stores. Residential shaved ice machines are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Industrial shaved ice machines tend to be more expensive than residential ones, although the return on investment is often worth the initial price.