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Nugget ice makers are trending for a reason

Nugget ice makers are trending for a reason

Chicago Tribune05-06-2025
There's nothing quite like the crunch of Sonic nugget ice. After all, those slushies and drinks are a big reason why the iconic fast-food chain has remained popular for decades. Now that summer has arrived, the thought of having some of the cult-favorite ice at home is pretty appealing. Luckily, there is a variety of nugget ice makers you can buy for your home that range from top-of-the-line to super affordable, so there's one for everyone. We've rounded up our favorites, so the only thing left to do is decide which cool drink you'll be enjoying on those warm sunny days.Nugget ice, also known as pellet ice, has a rough side and a smooth side because it's made of ice flakes rather than a single cube. This is why it's much lighter than regular ice, has an airier texture and doesn't melt as fast in your drink, which eliminates the hassle of a watered-down beverage. This makes it perfect for cocktails and mixed drinks, but for most, the chewable, soft texture is what is so appealing.
EUHOMY Nugget Ice Maker
This ice maker can make up to 34 pounds in one day. It features a clear bin that lets you see how much ice is available and a removable basket. The ice is ready in six minutes.
Frigidaire Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker
This chic nugget ice maker is slim enough to fit on a countertop and yet makes up to 44 pounds of ice a day. The bin holds three pounds at a time, and the ice is ready within 15 minutes.
Silonn Countertop Ice Maker
This affordable nugget ice maker makes two types of cubes and has a handle for easy transport and a self-cleaning basket.
Joy Pebble Nugget Ice Machine
This ice maker operates quietly, has a light to indicate when the bin is full and features a self-cleaning mode that starts at the touch of a button.
GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank
This nugget ice maker might cost more, but it's worth the splurge. It recirculates melted ice, which means clumping isn't an issue. It takes less than 15 minutes to produce the first batch of ice, it makes up to 24 pounds daily and it has an indicator light that'll let you know you're running low.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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I tried 6 fast-food lemonades. A recently revamped recipe was my favorite.
I tried 6 fast-food lemonades. A recently revamped recipe was my favorite.

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time15-07-2025

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I tried 6 fast-food lemonades. A recently revamped recipe was my favorite.

On a hot summer day, I tested six lemonades from different fast-food chains. From left to right (in descending size order), I tried lemonades from Wendy's, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Sonic, and Panera. I opted for a medium or regular size from each location. When chains offered different flavors of lemonade, I went for the classic option. My least favorite was from Wendy's. Wendy's actually has an entire lemonade menu, called Dave's Craft Lemonade Menu, which offers four kinds of lemonade: Tangerine Twist (new this summer), Pineapple Mango, Strawberry, and All-Natural, which is what I ordered. A medium lemonade at my local Wendy's on Long Island cost $3.69. At 32 fluid ounces, it was the largest drink of the six, and technically the best value. This was essentially water with a hint of lemon. This didn't taste bad, exactly, just bland. Fans of seltzers like La Croix and Spindrift might prefer this lemonade, since it wasn't overly sweet — it just tasted very watery. This might also be a result of the cup's size. It required a lot of ice to fill up, which could've watered my drink down a bit. Next up was Panera's Agave Lemonade. I ordered a regular Agave Lemonade from Panera, which cost $3.29. It was one of the smallest cups of lemonade I bought, at 20 fluid ounces. According to Panera's menu, its lemonade contains "lemon juice, sugar, agave nectar, and water " — and no artificial sweeteners. Give me pure sugar over agave any day. Maybe I've just had one too many margaritas, but the agave taste was not for me, and the aftertaste was even worse. It was so sugary that I felt like a cavity spontaneously formed in one of my molars. Between its sweetness and relatively small size, I can't recommend this lemonade, but maybe agave lovers would enjoy it. In fourth place was Sonic's All Natural Lemonade. Sonic has a ton of lemonades and limeades to try, including cherry, strawberry, cranberry, blueberry lavender, dragonberry, and more. I paid $4.29 for a medium All Natural Lemonade at Sonic, which is 20 fluid ounces. That made this the most expensive and one of the smallest lemonades I tried. I enjoyed this lemonade, but it was quite syrupy. I think this was one of the sweetest lemonades I tried, but I didn't hate it. What really puts this at No. 4, though, is the value. It was more money for less liquid. Next up was Burger King, which sells Minute Maid Lemonade. As a kind of control group, I wanted to add a chain that doesn't have a proprietary lemonade recipe and instead uses a mass-produced brand like Minute Maid. A medium lemonade at Burger King cost me $2.59 for 30 fluid ounces, making it the cheapest one on this list. It was good, but not great. This was a perfectly average cup of fast-food lemonade. It was a bit sweet and artificial tasting, but it was essentially what I expected from Minute Maid and Burger King. The value is what bumped this up to No. 3. My runner-up was Chick-fil-A's lemonade. A medium lemonade at Chick-fil-A set me back $3.42 for 20 fluid ounces. Chick-fil-A's lemonade had remnants of lemon pulp in it. Typically, I'm not a pulp person. However, it surprised me to have some lemon pulp in my lemonade, and it made me feel like I was drinking a freshly squeezed cup of lemonade — it tasted like it, too. Besides the texture, my other complaint about Chick-fil-A's lemonade was that my ice melted way too quickly. It was almost entirely gone by the time I got home — and it wasn't just because it was a hot day; all the other lemonades I had remained full of ice. Chick-fil-A uses nugget ice, which is essentially small, chewable pellets of ice. Sonic uses that ice too, but for some reason — maybe the cup? — its ice stayed intact. The other chains used normal cubes or crushed ice, which also did not melt as quickly. My favorite fast-food lemonade came from McDonald's. In April, McDonald's replaced the Minute Maid lemonade it had been using with a new offering called Premium Lemonade. The Premium Lemonade has "lemon juice, lemon pulp, and cane sugar" in it, the chain said at the time. I paid $2.89 for a medium, which is 21 fluid ounces. This was the most refreshing cup of lemonade I drank. I took a sip of this and immediately thought to myself, "This is what lemonade should taste like." It was crisp, not too sweet, not too bitter, had the perfect amount of ice, and tasted like a sip of summertime. And at $2.89, it was the second-cheapest lemonade I tried. You can't go wrong with this option. I might've gone into a sugar coma, but it was worth it to find out what the best fast-food lemonade is. All these lemonades have something to offer, whether it's a cheap price, varied levels of sweetness, different types of ice, or different types of sweetener. But, if I had to pick one, McDonald's would be my recommendation for anyone in search of a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day.

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Nugget ice makers are trending for a reason
Nugget ice makers are trending for a reason

Chicago Tribune

time05-06-2025

  • Chicago Tribune

Nugget ice makers are trending for a reason

There's nothing quite like the crunch of Sonic nugget ice. After all, those slushies and drinks are a big reason why the iconic fast-food chain has remained popular for decades. Now that summer has arrived, the thought of having some of the cult-favorite ice at home is pretty appealing. Luckily, there is a variety of nugget ice makers you can buy for your home that range from top-of-the-line to super affordable, so there's one for everyone. We've rounded up our favorites, so the only thing left to do is decide which cool drink you'll be enjoying on those warm sunny ice, also known as pellet ice, has a rough side and a smooth side because it's made of ice flakes rather than a single cube. This is why it's much lighter than regular ice, has an airier texture and doesn't melt as fast in your drink, which eliminates the hassle of a watered-down beverage. This makes it perfect for cocktails and mixed drinks, but for most, the chewable, soft texture is what is so appealing. EUHOMY Nugget Ice Maker This ice maker can make up to 34 pounds in one day. It features a clear bin that lets you see how much ice is available and a removable basket. The ice is ready in six minutes. Frigidaire Countertop Crunchy Chewable Nugget Ice Maker This chic nugget ice maker is slim enough to fit on a countertop and yet makes up to 44 pounds of ice a day. The bin holds three pounds at a time, and the ice is ready within 15 minutes. Silonn Countertop Ice Maker This affordable nugget ice maker makes two types of cubes and has a handle for easy transport and a self-cleaning basket. Joy Pebble Nugget Ice Machine This ice maker operates quietly, has a light to indicate when the bin is full and features a self-cleaning mode that starts at the touch of a button. GE Profile Opal Countertop Nugget Ice Maker with Side Tank This nugget ice maker might cost more, but it's worth the splurge. It recirculates melted ice, which means clumping isn't an issue. It takes less than 15 minutes to produce the first batch of ice, it makes up to 24 pounds daily and it has an indicator light that'll let you know you're running low. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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