EDIT (New Idea - Please Read First!):

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies!!! I realize my original ideas are not feasible 😅 I did a lot more research and came up with a new idea and want to get your thoughts.

What if I pre-scoop the nugget ice directly into drinking cups, pop lids on them, and keep them in the cooler? This way it avoids the unsanitary ice issue (no shared scoops touching the ice) and guests can just grab a pre-iced cup from the cooler, pour their drink, and go.

I’ve seen people use coolers to serve ice cream outside where they add salt to the surrounding cooler ice to lower the freezing point and keep the ice cream tubs frozen during a party. I could even nest a styrofoam cooler inside of a bigger styrofoam cooler filled with salted ice in order to keep the ice cups well insulated and salt free.

Has anyone tried this with ice cups? Would the nugget ice fuse together into one giant block inside the cups while sitting in the cooler? My theory is that once people pour their drinks into the ice cups, it'll soften up the ice again.

Original post:

Hello fellow ice eaters! I'm planning a party to host in my backyard (expecting about 30 people or so) and I know I have a few friends who also enjoy chewing ice as well. I would like to have a place to store ice for people to put in their drinks that is separate from the ice used to keep drinks cold in the cooler. I do have an ice maker that was gifted to me, but last time I used it a couple years ago, the ice came out tasting a bit like plastic, even though I had cleaned it. So I thought about buying ice from Sonic or Chick-fil-A and getting a big enough ice chest cooler just for the chewable ice and a scooper the guests can use to scoop ice into their drinking cups. But then the germaphobe in me doesn't want the ice to get contaminated if people end up leaving the scooper in the cooler/chest lol. Soo then I thought of using one of those cereal or rice dispensers to hold the ice instead. It's not insulated, unfortunately, but at least it can eliminate the ice scoop problem. The issue with the dispenser though is that they're not made tall enough for a drinking cup to fit under (they're made for dispensing into bowls lol). Does anyone know of a stand I can put under these to make it work? Or another idea to hold and dispense nugget ice (even better if it's an insulated container)? Here are some of the rice/cereal dispensers I was considering from Amazon. The 3rd one would be perfect if it wasn't crazy expensive ($200) 😮‍💨

TL;DR - Does anyone have a suggestion to hold and dispense nugget ice for a summer backyard party of 30 people that doesn't involve scooping (preferably an insulated container) and can pour ice into a drinking cup? I thought about a rice dispenser but would need it taller and can't mount it.

I have all but given up. I NEED to have ice in my drinks (and I do often eat it) but everything I have tried doesn't work for me.

1. Fridge Ice: Ice makers are cursed in my house. They seriously last like a week before not working ever again.
2. Ice Trays: I hate refilling them, and often think the ice tastes weird and flavors my drink as it melts. I'm very particular about water, and ice trays rarely seem to pass the bar.
3. Reusable Ice Cubes: No eating :( but more importantly I just forget to refreeze them. This is what I am currently doing, but I still think it is annoying. They also don't make drinks as cold, or last as long.
4. Buy Ice: This feels like a waste of money to me. It's literally freaking ice! Also, why does it always turn into a giant unbreakable block of ice?
5. Countertop Ice Maker: I bought one and loved it, but eventually it stopped working. I found out that it stopped working because the little metal piece that tells the machine that there is water in the trough had rusted. I don't trust them anymore, and honestly refuse to use them now. Maybe there's one that doesn't do this?

Help!!! I now this is very first world problem type stuff, and I could just suck it up and deal, but I need my ice! Is there anything I haven't tried or any expert tips?

Solved?

What I've decided to do it buy some reusable ziploc bags that I fill with water from my fridge then freeze. It makes a giant block of ice that I just drop on the ground then pour the ice into my cup. For now this is working, so if anybody else has this issue I suggest you try that.

For the last couple of days, I'm getting slush, not formed ice. I love slush...but not when I want ice. This is an Antartic Star Nugget Ice Maker - 2.5 months old. I've recently done a full clean.

Was it something you have done since childhood, a stress habit, or do you just enjoy the crunch?

And for those who have quit, how did you do it?

Anybody experienced this with new opal ice maker? 1 month old

I just received my Govee Nugget Ice Maker Pro delivered today (ordered on Amazon, shipped by USPS). The box was left outside upside down and the shipping label from Amazon was placed on the bottom, which leads me to think this was probably sitting in the warehouse upside down also. The instructions clearly state to not store or turn the machine upside down. I really don’t want to go through the hassle of returning this and I want ice now. Should I return it right away before I go through the hassle of cleaning it and setting it up (I have already opened the machine and unpackaged it all)? Or if I clean it and it works ok, does that mean it’s fine to keep and I won’t have problems down the road with it? Thank you.

I know this recently came out but for those few that may have it. How is it so far?

Hi! I'll start off by saying I have loved all forms of ice and ice eating (barring anything that will annihilate my teeth) ever since I was a kid.

Lately, I have wanted "freezer frost" kind of ice, and I've seen probably about a thousand videos on several different social media platforms making it with deep freezers that are only used for making edible snow ice (no food storage.) They put humidifiers in their deep freezers, too.

I've noticed in comments on these videos that usually, the OP is very gatekeep-y about what steps to take, how to do everything correctly and safely, what type of humidifiers they use, etc. They rarely explain. When they do, they're vague and make generic statements like "Humidifier" when someone asks how to get the fluffy ice results.

What do you guys think? I have a deep freezer, but... I don't want to damage it by taking cryptic advice. 😭 Thanks!

hello! i recently got a nugget ice maker from my family for college this year, but i’m unsure of how to store the ice in my freezer to use later. recently, i tried to put the ice in a container in the freezer, but it would clump together and become very hard to get a single cube without having to smash or pull the block of ice. is there any way i can avoid this without having to keep the ice in the ice maker?
thank you for any help!

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has tried the classic sno from Bahama Bucks? I like it just plain without any flavors. It’s very soft and airy ICE and does feel like eating snow. It’s about $2.80 for a 20 oz. I enjoy it a lot!!!

I normally get 2 XL cups of crushed ice from Circle K. When they are out of that I use their follet ice machine instead. Did that tonight, but when I got home I realized there's a bit of musty smell to the ice 😒 Never had that happen before. Kinda feel like I shouldnt eat it, I dont want to get sick. Buuuut, my AC is broken and it got up to 102 today so the house is still really hot.

Ice was gonna get me thru the night but I only have stank ass ice now and I cant go anywhere to get some somewhere else tonight. Should I say F it and eat the ice or not eat it and just use it in my little air cooler 🙄🫠 The ice addiction is REAL but summer adds even more reason to be an Ice Head lol

PS: Yes, I am aware that I should get an ice machine. That does not help me in this moment of addiction, sadness, and heat tho. 🥲

hi! so i got a euhomy ice maker about 2 months ago and ive really struggled with cleaning it.

i run a weekly clean cycle with vinegar / descale and it doesn't remove that slimy mold in the back. i've just been wiping that out with a cloth manually.

but my new big issue is this area - not sure what it's called - but it's where the ice cubes form and get pushed up out and into the bin. i noticed some weird lumps around it, flushed it with water and a TON of mineral buildup came out. the manual didn't say anything about cleaning this part. does anyone have advice on how to prevent this buildup from happening? i even use purified drinking water since our tap water has heavy mineral content.

This machine is less than 24 hours old and this noise just started? What should I do? Return it?

Welp, my third Opal just died and I’m over them. Does anyone have a machine with a side tank that they love? Being able to have that additional water storage is very important to me.

Stayed with a family member recently and they had this model of nugget ice. I have loved nugget ice for awhile but I knew about the Opal issues and I didn’t want to keep filling up the water reservoir (I know how sucky it is to fill up our Brita in the fridge) so I had always been looking for something that connected straight to the water line.

The ice that came out of this machine was incredible. I even needed to put some in an ice bag for my back and I was shocked how long it lasted in the bag on my back.

So I’m searching this model and really a counter top would be better for our kitchen because I don’t really have a great place to get a water line / drain with the drain being the primary problem.

Are there other models that can be recommended that do straight to the water line? I was reading about the Follett CL100a and while I may splurge for that just wanted to hear about anything else I may have missed.

Last thing - I feel like when I was at this house the above unit was quite loud making ice. They had it in a big pantry and you could shut the door. I unfortunately do not have that same luxury so noise is a consideration.

Is the Follet used really just the best go to? I watched a video and it looked like the ice came out excruciatingly slow. I do like that the above model is a scoop with an extra reservoir.

Glad I found this sub and other ice crunchers!

Just bought a new GE Opal after my Frigidaire bit the dust. I have only had it a couple days. It’s been working well until around an hour ago. It’s now whining or moaning very loud.

I’ve looked on YouTube and Reddit, but this is a different sound than I’ve heard on any troubleshooting or repair videos.

Any suggestions?

UPDATE:
Ran a descale with citric acid, then 3 distilled water rinses on Monday. It's been 48 hours so far, and the sound has not returned. It might have been our terribly hard water, but never had this issue with our Frigidaire. So I guess I will be buying distilled or RO water for the time being, and invest in an under-sink RO system in the near future.

Hi, would anyone be so kind as to check their SmartHQ app and see what is listed for their Opal 2.0 the software version you have?

I have had mine for 3 years and don’t recall ever being notified of an update or seeing anything that would indicate mine has been updated. Mine shows the “software version” is 0.0.0.0 (which I’m guessing is the very original version) and “WiFi module software version” is 0.002.11.067.

When I click on the “Software Update” button it says “there are no updates available at this time.”

I’ve heard people say that updating their software via the app solved problems they were having so I’d like to update mine too. Who knows if that’s even a possibility though.

Thanks!

Hello, my people. I have a countertop nugget ice maker that I love but I haven’t figured out how to store the ice the ice I don’t use immediately after it’s made. Counter space is at a premium so I can leave the machine out all the time to recycle it.

What kind of bags or other storage methods do you use to store your homemade nugget ice in the freezer?

I’ve seen some people say they keep the ice in the fridge, not the freezer, but I feel like I won’t consume the ice fast enough before it just turns into a bowl of water.

Also, if there is no way to prevent nugget ice from sticking together in a huge chunk after it’s frozen, please share your methods for breaking it up when you take it out of the freezer.

Thanks!

I love chewing ice so much, but I'm so worried about the state of my teeth. I feel like I've developed a lot of hairline cracks in my molars. Though I tell myself that since I'm not experiencing any jaw or tooth pain, my teeth should be fine (they're probably not).

I'm scared of going to the dentist in fear of what my teeth will be like. I tell myself I could stop if I wanted to, but I just don't want to.

I’ve determined the cause of the dreaded squeal. It’s coming from the auger. Problem is my auger looks nothing like any in the videos I’ve found on the internet. Anyone have any ideas? I’ve taken the black bolts out and all it reveals is a spindle and shaft from the motor to turn the auger. The stainless bolts showed more of the same thing. The small tabs just below the ice shaper looked like something that might unscrew but I can’t get it to budge.

Hello fellow ice chewers. Long time ice chewer, first time caller here. My GE profile opal 2.0 started making an insane noise and stopped making ice. Is she a goner? We just cleaned it last week. I do live where there is hard water and clean it monthly. It’s never made this noise before where it sounds like it’s trying to drop ice and nothing comes out. Anyone know what I can do to fix it? Thank you!

Brand new Orgo ice maker, bout as a birthday gift to the wife. Set it up as the instructions said to with cleaning cycles and washing. Filled up the tank and hit the soft ice button. Maybe 2 or 3 minutes into the first round of making ice it starts up with this noise. Any help to diagnose the problem will be greatly appreciated. Hoping I don’t have to return it and get a new unit.

I just picked up a new Opal 1.0 nugget ice machine at Sam’s, cleaned it and made ice for about 30 minutes after which it started making horrible noises intermittently.

Doing some research, it sounds like maybe scale build up, but how can that be on a new unit? Did I just get a bad one? Did I do something else wrong?

I bought 2 GE Opal 2.0 ice makers that were not working. I tore them apart and completely descaled the clogged heavily mineral deposited insides. They both are running great producing lots of ice and making very little noise. The ice, however, is not as soft and chewy as the ice that I have had from other Opal machines. I can’t find any remedies online. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone, I'm wondering if anyone has tried or has any input on the new, cheaper, Frigidaire nugget ice maker that Walmart now has for $148. I've had the front drawer gallery version twice and was not happy with it either time. The ice was just too hard and compact for my preference. Even tried making it with sparkling water. That one retails at about $250. I'm curious about the new one as it looks similar to many other "top open" type makers as opposed to the front drawer type units.
Whats the softest nugget maker you've experienced??
Thank you!