Shopping at Crate and Barrel and needing ice cube trays following a move, these Orka "Freeze and Press" trays with gasketed lids and silicone bottoms caught my attention. 

Most ice cube trays depend on a bending or twisting deformation of the entire tray to dislodge the cubes and break up the sheet of ice that ofen forms on top.  It seemed that pressing the cubes out as needed woud be more civilized and perhaps more convenient alternative.  The lid, too, was a welcome addition.  In the past, with the kind of fridge that has a single outer door and a freezer chest inside I've had ice cubes take on odd flavors; in the crowded separate-doored freezer in my current apartment I am more worried about other things falling into the tray and getting stuck to it.  Ridges on the lid to facilitate stacking added to these trays' appeal.

All that innovation counts for little, as the Orka "Freeze And Press" ice cube trays simply do not work.  That isn't to say that they don't hold water or that water is prevented from freezing when inside the tray (that would be a feat!) but rather that it's difficult to remove the cubes by pressing on the bottom of their compartments in the tray.  It takes a considerable amount of pressure, often more than can be comfortably applied by one or two fingers while holding the tray.

Placing the tray on the counter with its lid still on and pressing with the butt of a chef's knife works.  The trays also perform as they were designed if water is first run over them to partially melt the ice, or if they are twisted like regular ice trays.  But that defeats the purpose, and one may just as well get dollar-store ice trays instead.  That might even be better, as the handles of these Orka trays are a bit flimsy and do not hold up to twisting.

The lids do work.  They're well-sealed, thanks to their gasket, and stack the trays very stably and neatly.  But the improvement they bring doesn't outweigh the hassle in getting cubes out of these trays.  I recommend againt buying Orka's Freeze and Press ice cube trays unless they turn up at a liquidator for less than the dollar store plastic trays.

Recommended: No