So, we asked our team of shaved ice pros here to share some useful tips and tricks that you can utilize in preparing a better serving of shaved ice or snow cones, whether you have a shaved ice business of your own, or you’re a home user.
Contributor: Carli Herring, Customer Service Agent Manager and Accounting Manager
(Home Use Tip)
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When using a block ice shaver, it is very important to temper your ice. Tempering is the process of allowing your block of ice to thaw.
If using a commercial machine, we recommend letting your ice temper for about 10-15 minutes before shaving. If using a home machine, like the S900A Electric Shaved Ice Machine, we recommend letting the ice thaw for approximately 5-7 minutes.
Allowing your ice to temper will create a fine and fluffy snow consistency.
- Unsure of how many flavors to have at your first shaved ice stand? We suggest starting with approximately 15-30 flavors. With this in mind, you can make additional flavors with flavor combinations, then you can see what your customer demand is, and add or subtract based on popularity.
Contributor: Dustin Keipper, Marketing Director
(All users)
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If the syrup doesn’t seem to be flowing evenly from the top of the cup to the bottom, know that it takes time to soak through all the way. Because the ice is so fine and fluffy, there are not as many gaps between each ice crystal.
Imagine a bucket of large rocks versus a bucket with sand. If you pour water in the bucket of rocks, there are many gaps for the water to flow to the bottom of the bucket immediately. If you pour water over the sand, it would not immediately reach the bottom. It has to seep through all the tiny areas to actually reach the bottom.
Contributor: Matthew, Customer Service Agent
(Home Use Tips)
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Is your S900A Electric Shaved Ice Machine not shaving ice properly? Try adjusting the blade using a Phillips head screwdriver, and pushing the blade up, allowing more of the blade inside the ice compartment.
Are your ice molds for this machine bent and/or warped? Then try soaking the ice molds in hot tap water, and then re-shaping the ice molds using your hands, returning them to their original circular shape.
Also, the ice molds produce slightly smaller blocks of ice than the diameter of the ice chamber, so even if the ice molds are warped, they should still work in the machine.
These are just a handful of helpful hints for you to put into practice when you’re whipping up some delicious shaved ice. Have you come up with any tips and tricks of your own? We’d love to hear them! Share your thoughts and ideas with us on social media or contact us at customercare@hawaiianshavedice.com. For additional shaved ice business tips and information, check out Shaved Ice University on our sister site 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com and as always be sure to come back for another edition of shaved ice tips at Hawaiian Shaved Ice!
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