There’s a name for the soft, chewable ice you get from sonic drive-throughs and hospital cafeterias: nugget ice, though most people who’ve had it just call it “the good ice.” It’s made from compacted ice flakes rather than frozen in solid cubes, which is why it crunches instead of cracking your teeth. A handful of countertop machines make it now, and the GE Profile Opal Ultra is one of the better-known ones, mostly because GE has been refining this line for a few years rather than just launching one model and moving on.

This particular version comes with a 1-gallon side tank attached, which is the detail that actually matters day to day. Nugget ice makers go through water fast, and the side tank means you’re not refilling every few hours during a party. GE says it can produce up to 38 pounds of ice per day, working out to about 1.6 pounds an hour, with the first batch ready in around 10 minutes from a cold start.

What it’s actually like to run

It’s WiFi-connected through GE’s SmartHQ app, so you can start a batch remotely or get a notification when it needs cleaning, and it works with both Alexa and Google Home if you’d rather just ask for ice. There’s a reusable air filter built in too, which is a small thing but genuinely useful if you’ve got pets shedding near the kitchen.

I’ll be honest about the reviews here rather than pretend it’s flawless: it sits at 3.6 stars, and the complaints that come up most are noise during the ice-making cycle and some units needing more frequent cleaning than people expected to avoid a high-pitched squeal. Plenty of other reviewers report years of trouble-free daily use, so it seems to be somewhat unit-dependent, but it’s worth going in with the expectation that this machine wants weekly cleaning and occasional descaling to run quietly, not that you can just plug it in and forget about it.

Who this actually makes sense for

If you’re the household that goes through a full ice tray by mid-afternoon, or you like your drinks with the kind of ice you can actually chew, this earns counter space in a way a lot of kitchen gadgets don’t. It’s a genuine appliance commitment rather than a small tool, with a footprint under most standard cabinets, so it’s worth measuring your spot before ordering. For anyone whose only complaint about home ice has been “it’s just not the same as the ice out,” this is the fix.

Nearly 400 people have rated it and over 800 were bought in the past month, so it’s clearly finding an audience, even with the mixed noise feedback. If quiet operation matters more to you than fast, high-capacity output, it’s worth reading a few of the one-star reviews before buying so you know what you might be signing up for.