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Crushed Ice Machine |
ronrocks56
Member
Joined: Nov 12, 2003
Posts: 5 |  Posted: 2011-08-16 4:42 pm Permalink
Going to be entertaining a party of six for 2 weeks. Expecting to be making a lot of tiki drinks - mainly from Trader Vics recipes. Most of these recipes call for shaved ice, and I have read a lot of your posts that say that shaved ice makes all the difference. Normally, for just the 2 of us, with the occasional drink, we just use a hammer to pound out some cubes in a plastic bag .... Does anyone have a suggestion for a shaved ice machine or something? Thanks!
edit to my post - I found out I am talking about crushed ice - not shaved ice
[ This Message was edited by: ronrocks56 2011-08-17 14:33 ]
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jingleheimerschmidt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 328
From: santa rosa, calif.
| Posted: 2011-08-17 09:02 am Permalink
I can't recall specific drink recipes for shaved ice (think Sno Cones). However,I always use crushed ice (3/8"). Do you have a refrigerator that makes crushed ice? A neighbor? That will work fine for a party. For home use, I use a vintage Ice-o_Mat. There are also electric counter top models.
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TikiHardBop
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Feb 21, 2009
Posts: 355
From: Rockledge, FL
| Posted: 2011-08-17 09:47 am Permalink
I have a Ninja XL blender and it kicks serious butt on ice. It has multiple blades along the central axis which circulates the ice while it crushes it. You let that sucker run for 20 seconds and you've got a blender full of snow.
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ronrocks56
Member
Joined: Nov 12, 2003
Posts: 5 | Posted: 2011-08-17 2:25 pm Permalink
When I searched for shaved ice machines, I kept getting snow cone type ice makers - that can't be right. So I went back to the Trasder Vic's recipes - they do call for 'shaved' ice (Mai Tai, Rumg Keg, etc.) - but - in the intro section of the book there is a write-up on 'Ice' - and it refers to 'shaved or crushed ice' as the same type of ice. So now I am searching for automatic crushed ice makers. The reviews on the ones around $50 keep saying that they break anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months, and that you can only put in 1 or 2 cubes at a time. So, guess I should be looking at something a little more expensive maybe.... I know my blender isn't made to handle crushing ice.
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jingleheimerschmidt
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 328
From: santa rosa, calif.
| Posted: 2011-08-17 4:56 pm Permalink
Save your money! Get a manual ice crusher and get cranking before the party. 6 people isn't that much.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=31935&forum=10&hilite=ice%20crusher
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ikitnrev
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 1298
From: D.C. / Virginia
| Posted: 2011-08-17 5:18 pm Permalink
I like the vintage electric Oster ice crushers - I have a blue snowflake model from the 1950's - works great. They run in the $10-20 range on ebay.
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Chuck Tatum is Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2011
Posts: 1674
From: Southern Cailifornia
| Posted: 2011-08-17 5:20 pm Permalink
A hammer and a trash bag full of ICE, get to crushing! 
And a 
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Tonga Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 14, 2006
Posts: 144
From: The Tonga Lounge in Safety Harbor, FL
| Posted: 2011-08-17 7:22 pm Permalink
I've used a Waring Pro ice crusher for 5 years. Just keep putting the ice in. The tray holds about 6 drinks worth.
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 700
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2011-08-17 8:33 pm Permalink
dude, your blender can do a good enough job. thro in regular ice and put it on pulse for 5 secs, or, hit pulse five times for one second each.
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Chuck Tatum is Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2011
Posts: 1674
From: Southern Cailifornia
| Posted: 2011-08-17 8:44 pm Permalink
Your a lazy bunch
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 700
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2011-08-17 9:06 pm Permalink
dang, man, we's gotta measure out all those dashes of Pernod, and make all that cinnamon syrup and vanilla syrup and rock candy syrup and honey mix and whatnots, we caint be foolin round with no ice smashin!
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Chuck Tatum is Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 12, 2011
Posts: 1674
From: Southern Cailifornia
| Posted: 2011-08-17 9:18 pm Permalink
And a
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Kon-Hemsby
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Sep 17, 2003
Posts: 1225
From: Andover, England
| Posted: 2011-08-18 04:07 am Permalink
Vintage Ice-O-Mat. Brilliant machines.
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1766
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2011-08-19 3:11 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2011-08-17 17:18, ikitnrev wrote:
I like the vintage electric Oster ice crushers - I have a blue snowflake model from the 1950's - works great. They run in the $10-20 range on ebay.
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These do make great crushed ice, but mine kept getting jammed, resulting in much swearing by the operator. So I bought a Waring Pro, which also made great crushed ice, faster and in greater quantities. Until a little plastic (plastic!!) part inside - that holds the thingamajig in place so it can do its crushing magic - stripped and now... no more crushing. It's been a while now and I'm too lazy (incompetent) to fix it. I think the problem was I was feeding it ice cubes that were too large (square cubes from Tovolo silicone trays) and it just wore out.
I now use the ice crusher on the fridge. Not as uniform with the crushed ice pieces, but it's oh-so convenient.
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The Gnomon
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: May 01, 2007
Posts: 1276
From: MD-DC-VA
| Posted: 2011-08-22 06:29 am Permalink
Shaved ice is not crushed ice, although most of us I presume use crushed/ground/chopped ice instead. Shaved ice behaves differently than otherwise pulverized ice in drinks, but last time I checked, decent ice shavers were so expensive I just settled for a heavy duty blender to chop it up. Sometimes I'll make a large block of ice and shave it by hand. Pain in the ass, but it does remind me why VJB,Jr called for shaved ice in the Mai Tai recipe rather than crushed.
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