Ice Buckets and Ice Totes

Ice totes are the blue plastic buckets you may have seen hanging on a wall in the back of the house. Bar tenders use these buckets to fill ice from the ice bin and then transport it to the bar where they dump it into their underbar cocktail units for making drinks. These buckets are not just any plastic buckets, however. They are food safe ice totes designed only for holding and transporting ice. They can usually hold up to 25 lbs of ice and come with hooks for easy, sanitary storage.

Ice buckets, on the other hand, are often made from stainless steel and are designed to be more presentable for tabletop or hotel use. Stainless steel is considered a food safe item, but these are not designed to hold and transport large quantities of ice. These are better for home parties, catered events, or hotels, where a smaller group of people will be sharing the ice, or for tabletop champagne or wine service where a bottle needs to be kept cold during a meal.