Post #787645 by mikehooker on Tue, Jun 12, 2018 5:26 PM

I love the little Oster Sno Flakes. They're compact and cut nice sized pieces. Most have settings for "course" or "fine," so it could also give you shaved ice. I've gone through several of them, usually getting a good year or two of regular use out of them before they crap out, then picking up another one for around 20 bucks.

Last year I finally decided to go bigger and found a Waring Pro IC70 on Craigslist for $60. As Ace said, you gotta not over-jam the thing or it stops working. I honestly thought the thing was a dud the first time I used it til I got the hang of how to feed it. The plastic bin holds right around the amount of ice the tray in my freezer produces each day. What I typically do is crush that amount, put it all in a gallon sized freezer bag, and stick the crushed ice back in the freezer. It's typically enough ice to get me through my week of drinking unless we're entertaining, then I'll do a bag each day leading up to it. When it's cocktail time, I just pull the freezer bag out, the ice will have solidified a little, so I just whack it with the ice scoop and it breaks back up into perfect sized pieces. Scoop out what I need, then put it back in the freezer for tomorrow, or round two.

I used to break out the Oster every time I was making drinks, for years, until this method finally dawned on me. Crushed ice always at the ready. It's certainly life changing. You're welcome.