A refrigerator, comprising: a cabinet including one or more food storage compartments defined therein and one or more doors positioned to insulate the one or more food storage compartments from an exterior environment; a variable ice dispenser coupled to the cabinet and configured to dispense ice at a variable ice dispensing rate from a dispenser outlet , the variable ice dispenser further configured to dispense cubed and crushed ice; a variable control disposed on an exterior surface of the cabinet and coupled to the variable ice dispenser , the variable control including a variable control actuator configured to vary the ice dispensing rate of the variable ice dispenser in response to movement of the variable control actuator, the variable control actuator movable between a range of positions including a home position, wherein movement of the variable control actuator in a first direction from the home position causes the variable ice dispenser to dispense cubed ice and controls the ice dispensing rate of the ice variable ice dispenser , and wherein movement of the variable control actuator in a second direction from the home position causes the variable ice dispenser to dispense crushed ice and controls the ice dispensing rate of the variable ice dispenser ; wherein the variable control actuator comprises a rotary control actuator that is rotatable about an axis of rotation that is generally perpendicular to the exterior surface of the cabinet , wherein the variable control further includes a secondary control responsive to an axial force applied to the variable control actuator ; wherein the secondary control comprises a switch responsive to movement of the variable control actuator along the axis of rotation or a touch-sensitive region of a surface of the variable control actuator . a cabinet including one or more food storage compartments defined therein and one or more doors positioned to insulate the one or more food storage compartments from an exterior environment; a variable ice dispenser coupled to the cabinet and configured to dispense ice at a variable ice dispensing rate from a dispenser outlet , the variable ice dispenser further configured to dispense cubed and crushed ice; a variable control disposed on an exterior surface of the cabinet and coupled to the variable ice dispenser , the variable control including a variable control actuator configured to vary the ice dispensing rate of the variable ice dispenser in response to movement of the variable control actuator, the variable control actuator movable between a range of positions including a home position, wherein movement of the variable control actuator in a first direction from the home position causes the variable ice dispenser to dispense cubed ice and controls the ice dispensing rate of the ice variable ice dispenser , and wherein movement of the variable control actuator in a second direction from the home position causes the variable ice dispenser to dispense crushed ice and controls the ice dispensing rate of the variable ice dispenser ; wherein the variable control actuator comprises a rotary control actuator that is rotatable about an axis of rotation that is generally perpendicular to the exterior surface of the cabinet , wherein the variable control further includes a secondary control responsive to an axial force applied to the variable control actuator ; wherein the secondary control comprises a switch responsive to movement of the variable control actuator along the axis of rotation or a touch-sensitive region of a surface of the variable control actuator . <EOS>