Hawaiian Shave Ice: Yes, you can make some decent shave ice at home. We’ve had a few different small starter machines over the years, but we’ve settled on a couple of decent ones that have served us well for many years. I’ll tell you about them both and why we like them.
- Little Snowie: The best small counter machine for everyday use, hands down.
- Great Northern Commercial Shaver: This shaver is suitable for big groups and large amounts.
There are some very good, but extremely expensive options available, with prices ranging into the thousands of dollars! We purchased one that was on the lower end of the good commercial ones and have been very satisfied with it. It’s the Great Northern Commercial Ice Shaver, and it’s a decent buy for a commercial-level unit at under $250 and almost 300 nearly 5-star ratings. It can be found by clicking here. It’s incredibly heavy and well-made. We’ve had ours for about 5 years, and we’ve never had any problems with it.
What you should know about a big commercial shaver
The Best commercial shaved ice machine a big, heavy machine. You’ll need somewhere to keep it. To shave, you’ll also need big frozen blocks of ice. We discovered some inexpensive, circular plastic containers that are the perfect size after some trial and error testing. Some machines suggest shaving with ice blocks, but we noticed that smaller, circular blocks gave us the best results. This will necessitate some forethought in order to freeze the ice before we use the machine.
We keep a cooler nearby and fill it with ice so we can keep making them.
Quantity and pace are two advantages of a big commercial shaver. This is the perfect choice if you’re having a party and want to make a lot of these. You can make a lot of things in a short amount of time. For big family gatherings and neighbourhood parties, we bring this unit out. You can easily feed the masses!
When we put together a group table, it looks like this (this was from a family party we had a while back). To keep things going, we shave a lot of ice into a tub, then someone scoops servings out of the bowl. It’s awesome.
The Little Snowie is without a doubt the perfect regular counter top ice shaver. Some people are put off by the tiny machine’s price tag, but don’t be fooled. The cost is reflected in the top-of-the-line mechanics that generate a fluffy, gentle, high-quality ice shave in a model that is small enough to hold on a counter or tuck away in a cupboard. Another helpful feature is that no frozen ice blocks are required; instead, regular ice cubes from your freezer are used. We keep this on our counter all summer and use it on a daily basis.
Ice shaver for little snowies
The Little Snowie’s advantages are that it is a tiny, strong, and fluffy ice creature. It’s easy to store and transport. Ice cubes from the fridge are used. Children are capable of operating on their own.
Shave Ice / Shaved Ice Flavoring
I enjoy putting together a flavour menu for people to choose from. Our kids’ friends adore it, and we always do it instead of cake for summer birthdays!
When it comes to flavourings, you have a lot of options.
- Make your own syrup: Making simple syrup (sugar + water) and then adding concentrated flavour is all that is needed. There are a plethora of online stores where you can shop fun and exclusive flavours.
- Premade Snowcone Syrup: You can purchase big jugs of prepared flavour syrups in very simple flavours at restaurant supply stores. These are ideal for school parties, youth camps, and other similar events. Anything that you want a low-cost alternative and aren’t concerned with variety or imagination.
- Coffee Shop Bottled Flavored Syrups: While Torani (and similar) syrups aren’t as thick as sugar syrups, they still taste fantastic. The rest of the time, this is what we use! The infinite flavour possibilities inspire innovation and imagination. These can be found at restaurant supply stores for the best rates.
- Little Snowie now sells flavour packs that are made entirely of natural ingredients. I haven’t tried them yet, but they are a possibility.
Tip: You can buy toppers for your bottles at restaurant supply stores or online that make them easy to pour or use with a pump.
What do you put on Shave Ice besides that?
Put your sweetened condensed milk in a condiment squeeze bottle for the “Snow Hat” to make it even simpler. Keep some ice cream on hand for the bottom!
On Amazon, you can also purchase the popular cups and spoon-straws. We buy them in case quantities!
Place a large scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup and top with snow. Drizzle some sweetened condensed milk over the top after pouring a generous amount of flavoured syrup on top. That concludes our discussion. I also make a low-calorie version with sugar-free Torani syrup and frozen yoghurt or high-protein ice cream.
This is one of our favourite foodie traditions in our family, and I hope it will become one for some of you as well! If you have any questions or would like a video or something, please let me know. I’d be delighted to share!
For more information, visit: compareget.com/
