GE Profile Opal 2.0 Extremely Nugget Ice Maker overview: the best new good kitchen gadget

Some good house devices may very well be thought of important. A wise thermostat can prevent cash, and a wise door lock can forestall you from getting locked out. However not like these devices, it’s exhausting to argue you want the good GE Profile Opal 2.0 Extremely Nugget Ice Maker ($579, or $629 with the aspect tank). Nevertheless, it’s your decision this gadget — as a result of it makes The Good Ice.

Sure, $630 is some huge cash for any countertop gadget, not to mention one which simply freezes water. Spending this a lot on a linked gadget whose smarts are largely restricted to scheduling and asking Alexa to make extra ice seems like an excellent larger stretch. However nugget ice is a hill many will die on — my household included. It simply makes drinks style higher, they cry. Something that encourages my kids to hydrate is a giant win in my e-book.

In case you’re unfamiliar with nugget ice (aka chewable ice, Sonic ice, pellet ice, or, as my household calls it, “the nice ice”), it’s small items of ice constituted of layers of flaked ice frozen collectively. It’s actually fairly addictive and goes properly in all the things from a tall glass of water to iced tea and lemonade. It’s virtually required in case you’re making tiki cocktails.

Nugget ice can flip a room-temperature drink into a chilly drink in seconds and doesn’t soften as rapidly as crushed ice. It’s additionally actually enjoyable to chew on. My daughter likes to get a glass filled with ice and chow down.

Sadly, there isn’t a fridge that may make true nugget ice. Samsung makes one which produces “ice bites,” that are small ice cubes, however these are apparently not the identical factor. So, it’s go countertop or go to the drive-in.

Within the week I’ve had the Opal on my kitchen counter, it has change into my household’s favourite kitchen gadget. They love scooping its nuggety goodness right into a tall glass of lemonade or filling up their Tervis cup earlier than tackling the summer season warmth.

The Opal is tremendous simple to arrange, easy to make use of, and makes ice very quick — as much as 38 kilos a day. It would not require plumbing, simply energy, however you want the elective water tank if you need a continuing circulate of ice. We solely need to refill that each different day on common, and it has greater than sufficient ice for all 4 of us.

The most important draw back thus far is that the Opal Extremely is noisy. The tubing makes a high-pitched whining noise because the water filters by way of, and the ice manufacturing clunks gently. However right here’s the place these smarts do come in useful — you possibly can schedule when it’s making ice within the SmartHQ app to keep away from interfering with film time — or simply inform Alexa or Google to show it off.

The Opal was first launched in 2015, and the Extremely is the fourth model of GE Profile’s standard nugget ice machine. It comes with some behind-the-scenes enhancements to make cleansing the unit simpler. These embody a brand new scale-inhibiting water filter, a reusable air filter, and alerts that let you know when it’s time to sanitize or descale (on the machine and within the app).

All of those enhancements add as much as — in concept — extra time between cleansing / descaling and may hold the ice tasting higher for longer. (The excellent news for present Opal homeowners is that the brand new water filter is appropriate with present fashions.)

The cleansing / descaling course of is prolonged. It requires a particular answer (or vinegar, in case you desire) and as much as a day of downtime because the stuff does its work. And you should sustain with it if you need it to maintain producing contemporary ice. In my quick time testing the unit, I’ve not had a descale alert seem, however the sanitize one did, which occurs after 25 hours of ice-making.

The sanitizing course of was largely painless and took about half-hour. Nevertheless, mixed with descaling — which you’ll have to do as soon as each two weeks to 4 months based mostly in your water hardness — this gadget requires lots of upkeep. (GE Profile notes that in case you use distilled water within the Opal, you in all probability gained’t have to descale it, however you’ll nonetheless have to sanitize and clear.)

Different updates with the Extremely from the present Opal 2.0 mannequin embody new colours (white or black along with stainless-steel) and an upgraded contact show for powering on / off, connecting to Wi-Fi, and checking standing. Plus, there’s now a magnetic scoop holder and stainless-steel scoop — which makes it simpler to retailer the inside track on the aspect of the unit and may assist with cleanliness.

If you will get the Opal 2.0 on sale that’s in all probability the way in which to go. General, the Extremely’s upgrades really feel like aesthetic and quality-of-life tweaks. You continue to need to manually clear the machine, even when doubtlessly not as usually. Plus, you should buy the brand new water filter and the brand new scoop with holder individually beginning in August and use them with the Opal 2.0, though which will cancel out most of your financial savings.

The Opal 2.0 Extremely could be very costly, requires lots of work to take care of, and takes up a large chunk of my kitchen counter. However it does a superb job of manufacturing contemporary, chewable, crunchable ice that makes any drink style higher. It’s additionally one of many few good devices I’ve introduced into my house that everybody in my household loves — which says lots.

Should you, too, crave good ice and go into this figuring out the struggles you’ll have to endure to maintain getting it, you then’ll be very glad with this gadget.

Photographs by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge