It is important to understand the benefits of Hoshizaki flaked ice and F Series flakers if your business needs moldable ice for displays, food preparation, or healthcare. You need to pick the right Hoshizaki F Series flaker for your business because it will affect how things are done every day, whether you are making a seafood display or helping a hospital, with the things they need to keep people hydrated.

Flaked ice is not really for putting in drinks. It is actually made for making things look nice, keeping things cool, and protecting them. When people who use ice machines compare kinds of ice, like the crescent or cubelet (see KM Edge models or cubelet machines), they usually figure out that flaked ice is used for something different. The Hoshizaki flakers are good for situations where it's really important to keep things fresh, to keep them from drying out, and to make them easy to handle. This guide will show you when flaked ice is the choice and how to pick the right size machine and take care of it.

Ice Properties

Soft, moldable texture

Flaked ice is made up of soft pieces. These pieces pack together easily. This makes flaked ice perfect for things like food displays and ingredient storage. It is also great for places where you need to be able to shape the cooling around food or drinks.

High moisture content

Flaked ice has a lot of water in it, which is really good for keeping food moist. This means that food will not dry out. This is very useful when you are storing seafood, produce, or things you get from the deli.

Fast cooling

Flaked ice is really good at cooling things down evenly because it has a big surface area. Flaked ice does a job of maintaining safer holding temperatures for products, and it protects the appearance of the products.

Ideal Venues

Grocery and seafood markets

Flaked ice is really useful for showing off seafood, fresh produce, and meats. The thing about ice is that you can shape it however you want, so people who work with it can make it fit around the items they are displaying.

Healthcare facilities

Hospitals and clinics use ice a lot. They use it for therapy and when they bring people food. They also use ice for patients who need to drink a lot of water. Clinics like flaked ice because it is safer for certain patients.

Food production and prep areas

Commercial kitchens use ice for a lot of things, like mixing bowls and keeping food cold for a short time. Commercial kitchens use ice when they are making big batches of dough or when they are working with seafood.

Bars and beverage programs (limited use)

Flaked ice is not usually used in drinks. Some bars do use a bit of it to make things look nice, like when they put it in champagne buckets or use it as a garnish. If you want ice for drinks, you should think about using square ice machines or crescent KM Edge units.

Model Families

Hoshizaki F Series (full-size flakers)

The F Series flaker models make a lot of ice that commercial operations need. Most of the F Series flaker models can be connected to bins outside, so you can store a lot of ice.

Undercounter and compact flakers

The smaller Hoshizaki flake models are great for places where space is limited, like prep stations or healthcare settings that do not need a lot of ice. Hoshizaki flake models are perfect when you want Hoshizaki flake ice nearby without using up a lot of floor space.

Pairing with dispensers and bins

Flaked ice is usually kept in a container. You should look at the machines in the Hoshizaki flakers collection to find the right container and machine that work well together for your flaked ice needs.

Sizing

Calculate daily ice needs

We see a lot of variation in how people use ice:

• Seafood and display use: heavy volume due to frequent restacking

• Healthcare: 5–10 lbs per patient per day

• Kitchens and prep: 1–3 lbs per meal period

Understand production ratings

The F Series flakers are good to go for twenty-four hours of production when the temperature's just right. If the area where you are putting the F Series flakers is really hot, you should think about getting a machine.

Use a sizing tool

To get the idea of what you need, you should try our Size Calculator. This tool will give you an idea of what is best for you based on the kind of business you are in, how much storage you need, and when you use it the most. 

Care

Filtration is essential

Even though flaked ice does not need to be clear, you still need to use water to make flaked ice. If minerals build up, they can hurt the auger system of the machine that makes ice. You can look at our water filter collection.

Routine descaling

Flakers have parts called augers, and these augers need to be cleaned regularly. We should clean them every month or every few months so the flakers keep working and do not stop suddenly.

Monitor ice quality

If your flaked ice gets too wet or too dry or does not come out right, this could mean that you have a problem with the water or the air is not flowing as it should, or the parts inside are worn out.

Explore matching models: see our collections and use the Size Calculator.