When it’s warm outside there’s no better feeling than cooling down with an ice-cold slushy, so why deprive your customers of the refreshing taste of summer?
From corner shops and ice cream vans to restaurants and bars, lots of businesses are embracing the much-loved slushie. And it’s no wonder with the huge range of flavours and high return on investment. But how does that huge bottle of syrup turn into a tasty drink that keeps your customers coming back?
Let’s take a closer look inside a Mr Cool It slushie machine to see the magic behind a cup of slush.
How do slushy machines work?
A slushie machine is made up of lots of components that ensure your customers get their delicious treat.
The most important components are in the cooling system, as this is what turns the liquid mixture into frozen slush.
A refrigerant (the chemical that is used to keep things cold) is turned from a liquid into a gas in the evaporator. This is an endothermic reaction, meaning the refrigerant absorbs the heat around it, making the slush machine cold.
This reaction cools the syrup past freezing point to the perfect 3°C and it begins to form the slush. But how come it doesn’t freeze solid?
The answer to that lies in the delicious compound that makes slush taste so good; sugar.
The sugar in the syrup acts as an antifreeze, preventing the frozen water molecules from bonding so instead of an ice cube, there are small ice crystals. This is why the ratio of syrup to water is so important.
The final part that makes slush possible is the mixer. This moves the slush mixture around the bowl evenly, so all the mixture is cooled all the way through. The constant movement also helps to make sure the slush doesn’t freeze solid.
How long does a slushie machine take to freeze?
Every slush machine will have a different freeze time based on brand, model and age.
In general, most slushy machines will freeze in under an hour however it can be as fast as 20 minutes in more efficient machines.
When buying a slushy machine, you should always check the freeze time in the product specification to make sure it suits your business operations.
How to optimise slushy machine performance
Get the ratio right
As mentioned, the sugar is what controls the freezing of a slush, so it’s very important to get the water to syrup ratio perfect.
Too much syrup and your slush won’t freeze. But too much water and you risk it freezing solid which can damage your machine over time.
We recommend a water to syrup ratio of 6:1 with Mr Cool It syrups.
Regular cleaning
Having a clean machine is important for hygiene as well as your machine’s health.
Make sure you’re giving your machine a good scrub from the top of the machine down to the nozzles at least once a week.
It’s also important you check the dust build-up on the condenser regularly, as this can block airflow and affect the efficiency of the freezing process
Servicing and repairs
If your slushie machine is looking a little under the weather, don’t wait until it conks out on you to get it fixed.
Annual servicing will ensure your machine is always in the best shape allowing you to save money and make sure you can meet customer demands on every sunny day.
In the unfortunate event that your slushy machine does break, don’t give up on it. Our team of experienced engineers can breathe a new lease of life into your machine with our repair service.
Get ready to sell
Now you know the ins and outs of making a slush, it’s time to get selling!
At Mr Cool It, we have a huge range of slushie machines in lots of sizes from leading slush brands so there’s always a machine to suit your needs. Take a look at our range of slushie machines and get in touch with our friendly team to find out more.