We were often asked how long it takes for the Slushy machine to freeze and start giving the perfect slushies. The answer to this question is it takes 45 minutes to 1 hr for the slush machine to freeze and produce a ready-to-eat slushy.
The freezing time of the Slushy Machine varies with the mix of slushie syrup (essentially, its sugar content) and water ratio inside the slushie machine. If there is too much sugar in the mixture, the slushie won’t freeze, and if the sugar is too little, it will solidify and break your slushie maker.
This is measured in the Brix Scale of the mix. The Brix scale is a measurement system used in food production to express the percentage of dissolved sucrose (sugar) in a liquid solution. It is measured using a device called the Brix refractometer. Brix reading for the mixture of Slushie syrup + Water(or any liquid for that matter) mix should be ideally between 13 to 15 degrees on the scale of Brix refractometer. (One degree on the Brix scale is equal to 1 gram of sucrose per 100 grams of solution)
So, the Slushy mix with a brix scal value between 13 to 15 degrees on the Brix refractometer, the free time for the slushy machine is between 45 mins to 1 hour 15 mins.
Freezing time for Slushie Machine with Alcohol in the mix
Usually, the ratio of Slushy syrup liquid to water is 1:4 or 1:5; which means, One cup or portion of slushie syrup liquid should be added with 4 or 5 cups of water as per the directions on the syrup pack. But when there is alcohol in the mix, the game changes as alcohol has a high sugar content, the substance behaves as antifreeze. And so, you must replace an equal amount of slush mix with the alcohol.
If you put 1 gallon of slushy mix = 128 oz and 4 gallons of water (maintaining 1: 4 ratio), your alcohol can be measured as
If you put 1/2 of 5th into the mix = 28 oz, then you must reduce the amount of slush mix by 28 oz.
128 oz of slush mix (1 gallon pre-measured mix)
– 28 oz. alcohol (1/2 of 5th alcohol)
——————————————————
100 oz adjusted slush mix is required.
So when using alcohol in the unit, keep in mind that alcohol resists freezing. So, the total time for the slush machine to freeze and start slush production with alcohol inside it will increase beyond 1 hour & 15 minutes.
So the trick to reduce the freezing time of the Slush machine is to add alcohol about 1 hour later after the “slush” starts to form, this method, affects the texture of slushies, but saves energy nonetheless OR Some slush machines are rated to work with alcohol, but it depends on the manufacturer. Read the manufacturer’s guidelines concerning alcohol before making adult slushies.
