An ice maker for forming ice, the ice maker comprising: (i) a refrigeration system using a refrigerant capable of transitioning between liquid and gaseous states, the refrigeration system comprising: (a) a compressor for pressurizing the refrigerant; (b) a condenser for receiving the pressurized refrigerant and condensing the refrigerant into a substantially liquid refrigerant, wherein the condenser is in fluid communication with the compressor via a discharge line; (c) a thermal expansion device for converting the high pressure liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser into low pressure liquid refrigerant, wherein the thermal expansion valve is in fluid communication with the condenser via a liquid line; (d) an evaporator for receiving the low pressure liquid refrigerant from the thermal expansion valve and discharging low pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant via a suction line connected to the compressor; (e) a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator; and (f) a hot gas valve which is adapted to be opened during a harvest cycle to direct warm refrigerant from the compressor to the evaporator through a hot gas bypass line; (ii) a water pump which, during a cooling cycle, pumps water over the freeze plate wherein the water collects in the freeze plate and freezes into ice; (iii) a harvest sensor for detecting when at least a portion of the ice is harvested from the freeze plate; (iv) a temperature sensor (25, 26) for measuring a temperature that indicates that all of the ice has been harvested from the freeze plate; and (v) a controller adapted to control the hot gas valve in response to an indication from the harvest sensor that at least a portion of the ice has harvested from the freeze plate and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor indicating that all of the ice has been harvested from the freeze plate. (i) a refrigeration system using a refrigerant capable of transitioning between liquid and gaseous states, the refrigeration system comprising: (a) a compressor for pressurizing the refrigerant; (b) a condenser for receiving the pressurized refrigerant and condensing the refrigerant into a substantially liquid refrigerant, wherein the condenser is in fluid communication with the compressor via a discharge line; (c) a thermal expansion device for converting the high pressure liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser into low pressure liquid refrigerant, wherein the thermal expansion valve is in fluid communication with the condenser via a liquid line; (d) an evaporator for receiving the low pressure liquid refrigerant from the thermal expansion valve and discharging low pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant via a suction line connected to the compressor; (e) a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator; and (f) a hot gas valve which is adapted to be opened during a harvest cycle to direct warm refrigerant from the compressor to the evaporator through a hot gas bypass line; (a) a compressor for pressurizing the refrigerant; (b) a condenser for receiving the pressurized refrigerant and condensing the refrigerant into a substantially liquid refrigerant, wherein the condenser is in fluid communication with the compressor via a discharge line; (c) a thermal expansion device for converting the high pressure liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser into low pressure liquid refrigerant, wherein the thermal expansion valve is in fluid communication with the condenser via a liquid line; (d) an evaporator for receiving the low pressure liquid refrigerant from the thermal expansion valve and discharging low pressure, substantially gaseous refrigerant via a suction line connected to the compressor; (e) a freeze plate thermally coupled to the evaporator; and (f) a hot gas valve which is adapted to be opened during a harvest cycle to direct warm refrigerant from the compressor to the evaporator through a hot gas bypass line; (ii) a water pump which, during a cooling cycle, pumps water over the freeze plate wherein the water collects in the freeze plate and freezes into ice; (iii) a harvest sensor for detecting when at least a portion of the ice is harvested from the freeze plate; (iv) a temperature sensor (25, 26) for measuring a temperature that indicates that all of the ice has been harvested from the freeze plate; and (v) a controller adapted to control the hot gas valve in response to an indication from the harvest sensor that at least a portion of the ice has harvested from the freeze plate and the temperature measured by the temperature sensor indicating that all of the ice has been harvested from the freeze plate.