Whirlpool’s SlimTech Technology Is Going to Change the Way You Store Leftovers

The way you store your leftovers is changing. And getting way more sleek than you probably thought possible.

In 2023, Whirlpool announced its latest upgrade in refrigeration technology with the release of its SlimTech insulation, the “first vacuum-insulated structure technology in a refrigerator in the North American market.”

If that sounds like a lot of jargon, that’s because it is. But here’s the important part: Your fridge could soon be thinner and lighter and help your food stay fresher for way longer. In fact, Fast Company found the insulation upgrade so impressive that it gave it a 2024 Innovation by Design Award in the home category. And soon, a fridge containing SlimTech is expected to hit the market. But first, more on how it works. 

SlimTech Insulation, Whirlpool explained in a release in 2023, is a “proprietary, highly porous powder blend” that lives within the door and/or the sides of a refrigerator, replacing the need for the larger polyurethane foam insulation that has dominated refrigerators since the ’80s. In fact, according to Whirlpool, the insulation reduces the wall thickness of a fridge by up to 66%. This allows for “up to 25% more capacity inside the refrigerator.” 

It could also make the interior of your fridge a more beautiful space too. As Whirlpool noted in an additional announcement, the new fridges can now come with “metal interiors with cleaner angles eliminate the need for the molded plastic interiors.” (We’re sure fridgescapers will love that one.)

While a few lucky people got a glimpse of the tech at CES 2024, Whirlpool shared it would be releasing it to the masses sometime soon. And it’s kicking things off with the JennAir brand of fridges. 

“Whirlpool Corporation and JennAir brand once again are on the cutting edge of innovation and design with the introduction of SlimTech insulation,” Chelsey Whitehead, director of product and brand marketing for JennAir, shared in a statement. “The JennAir refrigerators featuring SlimTech insulation will provide a greater ability to keep food fresher, longer, while also elevating and transforming kitchen spaces for design professionals and consumers alike.”

Specifically, the tech will be found in the doors of select JennAir luxury 30-inch SlimTech Insulation Column refrigerators. Food & Wine reached out to JennAir for more specifics, and we were told fridges containing SlimTech would likely hit the market in 2025. The JennAir fridges are available for purchase now sans SlimTech, but the price point is not for the faint of heart, sitting at just under $8,000. But again, you’ve still got a little time to save up for one with the upgraded specs.

Whirlpool added in its statement that sometime in the near future, Slimtech will roll out in KitchenAid refrigerators, utilizing the new insulation for the entire structure of the fridge. And, as the company importantly noted, this insulation upgrade will also increase energy sustainability and, additionally, the insulation has the “potential” to be recycled, unlike polyurethane, “reducing the overall environmental impact of refrigerators.” So, the next time you’re in the market for a new fridge, make sure to ask about its insulation. It could help you store an entire Thanksgiving dinner for those all-important leftover turkey sandwiches to come.