Mmmmm...milkshakes; the delicious ice-cream drink that seems to go with everything from cheeseburgers to pizza. If you are looking to purchase a milkshake machine for your restaurant, do you know which type to buy? Wait, you did not know that there are at least three types of milkshake machines? Here they are, along with which type might serve you best.
Tank Style
Tank style milkshake machines have large holding tanks that combine flavor syrups and melted ice cream and milk inside. These machines rapidly freeze the mixture. When you want to fill a cup to serve the milkshake, you pull a lever in the front and the frozen concoction squeezes out of a tube under that lever. This type of machine is best for restaurants that need to produce a high volume of milkshakes every day. They tend to be more economical too. However, the flavors and the mixing are somewhat inconsistent, and you may find that you have to unclog the tubing in the machine more often than you would like.
Handmade, Soda Fountain Style
These machines closely resemble the old soda fountain style. You can purchase individual models for your counter, or a multi-unit model so that you always have at least one mixer clean and ready to go. In addition to using fresh ice cream and milk that has not been flash-frozen and extruded, these machines double as classic soda float machines too. The drawbacks to these machines include having to wash the grinding and mixing extensions with every use, and having to replace the grinder extensions up to a couple of times a year when they wear out or break.
Blender Style
This particular type of machine is akin to a giant blender. Follow the included recipes with the machine. Dump a pail or two of ice cream (any flavor) into the machine, along with the required amount of milk. Close the lid and set the machine to blend. It can give you enough milkshakes of various sizes until the mixture is gone. Then you have to refill it.
On the plus side, you can create custom shakes and shake flavors of the day, in addition to never having to pour or dump a lot of your expensive ingredients out while you clean the machine. On the down side, it may run out on a hot day. Then you have to fill it and make more.
Contact a company, like DSL Northwest, Inc., for more help.
