An Introduction to Luxury Thermador Appliances and Their Features
“Exceptional is our goal”
– Thermador
For over 100 years, Thermador has pushed home appliance technology toward the future. Their innovations have created many firsts for home appliances. Their many innovations blend high performance and delightful design for the benefit of Thermador owners.
Their extensive catalog of luxury appliances features appliances such as ovens, ranges, cooktops, microwaves, refrigerators, and more. In this Thermador buying guide, we will review:
Is Thermador a Good Brand?
As a part of the BSH Home Appliances Corporation, Thermador represents the same great technology as Bosch and Gaggenau. The Thermador factories in Tennessee and North Carolina produce most of the brand’s appliances sold in the United States. In these factories, they combine handcrafting and machine production techniques, ensuring each appliance provides exceptional performance.
Each appliance is rigorously tested to ensure high-quality craftsmanship. These tests include mechanical and technical assessments that check for reliable heating and cooling performance.
However, what truly sets Thermador apart is the optimizations and innovations they’ve created over the past 100 years. Through these advancements, Thermador offers freedom and flexibility that elevates the lives of designers, builders, and homeowners.
Unique Thermador Innovations
For over 100 years, Thermador has pushed innovations in the kitchen to improve the lives of luxury appliance owners. From being the first manufacturer to bring professional-quality appliances into the residential market in the 1950s to the incredible advancements they’ve created in the past 30 years.
Stand Out Innovative Features In Current Thermador Appliances
Star Burner
Thermador specializes in making gas-powered cooktops with their patented Star Burner. This design uses 50 gas ports whereas a conventional circular burner only has 28. As a result, Star Burners offer better heating, a smaller cool spot, and more evenly cooked food.
Patented in 1998, the Star Burner has since been included in Thermador’s gas-powered cooktops and cooking ranges.
Cooking Ranges
Thermador produced the first “Pro” range in 1950, it was 48″ stainless steel, had 6 burners, and featured dual ovens. In 2011, they invented the first dual oven range with built-in steam and convection oven. In 2016, they took that innovation a size up by producing the first 60″ cooking range with steam and convection.
Wall Ovens
They were the first to make a wall oven and stainless steel appliance, in 1947 with the “Bilt-In” Wall Oven. Thermador also made the “Bilt-In” Cooktop to compliment this series of wall ovens.
Their next wall oven innovation came in 1955 by adding a warming drawer to their built-in wall ovens. In 1956, they introduced their first built-in side-by-side double-wall oven. Next, they introduced the first self-cleaning oven in 1963.
Induction Cooking
As induction cooking technology has become more prevalent, Thermador has crafted multiple improvements to induction cooking surfaces. In 2012, they introduced the first, and largest, fully usable cooking surface. They have continued refining their designs while incorporating more induction cooking elements with their full-sized cooking ranges.
Refrigeration
In 2006, Thermador produced the first set of modular column refrigerators to support flexibility and freedom in kitchen designs. Recent improvements to their refrigeration products include new types of ice production.
Diamond Ice and Entertaining Ice
- Diamond is their signature ice type invented to create more surface area than crescent-shaped ice. As a result, it cools drinks faster and fits more ice into glasses.
- Entertaining Ice – larger gem-shaped ice that provides an unprecedented option for entertaining. This option is only available in new 42 and 48-inch models of bottom freezer refrigerators in 2024.
Dishwashers: StarDry® with Zeolite
Zeolite is a naturally occurring mineral that improves water absorption. The StarDry® system circulates ultra-dry heated air throughout Thermador’s Sapphire and Star Sapphire dishwashers to perfectly dry dishes–even with hard-to-dry crevices.
What to Look For When Shopping for Thermador Appliances
Beautifully Crafted Design Collections
Your options when shopping for a Thermador appliance will feature one of two luxurious design collections: Masterpiece and Professional.
The Thermador Masterpiece design line presents sleek modern lines, slim handles, unique soft silver blended glass, chrome elements, and signature stainless steel. Instead of dials and control knobs, Masterpiece appliances use elegant touch controls.
The Professional design line features traditional control dials, pronounced solid handles, and signature stainless steel. Including one of these appliances in your kitchen will make your kitchen feel on par with a professional chef’s.
If you have more discerning tastes, Thermador also offers panel-ready appliances that allow for the ultimate freedom in designing your kitchen.
Thermador Appliances
at Electronic Express
Thermador Refrigerators
You can find several options from Thermador’s line of refrigerators. The brand is known for its Freedom line of column refrigerators that can be installed anywhere in the kitchen to fit your design. And if you need a freezer for your kitchen, their column refrigerators can be paired with a column freezer. If you’re looking for a more traditional refrigerator, Thermador offers French door and freestanding refrigerators with bottom freezer drawer designs.
Baseline Thermador Fridge Features
- Freedom® hinge that allows for a flush installation with kitchen cabinetry.
- Dual compressor and evaporator systems.
- Fully optimized Cool air flow technology in the internal cavity for ultimate cooling performance.
- Stainless steel interiors.
- NSF-certified water filtration.
- ThermaFresh® System humidity and temperature controls.
- Interior theater lighting.
- Home Connect connectivity.
- Flexible storage bin and shelf configurations.
New Features for 2024
- Built-in cameras so you can check in on the contents of your refrigerator directly from your Home Connect app.
- Upgraded luxury detailing, aluminum shelving, aluminum interior, and storage bins with optimized organization.
- Storage bins with rubber mats for easy cleaning and stable storage.
- An improved hanging deli drawer.
- Internal water dispenser.
- Upgraded touchscreen controls located above the ThermaFresh drawers.
- ThermaFresh™ Pro drawers with digital temperature and humidity controls.
- In larger models, Dual Ice Makers produce new Entertaining Ice and signature Diamond Ice.
- ThermaFlex™ Drawers with preset temperature settings including freeze, soft freeze, beverage, deli, meat, cake, and refrigerate.
Also new in 2024, Thermador is releasing more French door built-in bottom mount refrigeration units in 36, 42, and 48-inch sizes*.
*At the time of publication, the 42 and 48-inch refrigerators were not released on the market.
Freezer Columns
Complement a refrigerator column with a Thermador column freezer. Choose from signature stainless steel designs, or make it your own with custom panel options. Thermador builds the same level of performance into their column freezers as their bottom-mount freezer refrigerators. Freezer columns are available in 18, 24, 30, and 36-inch sizes.
Thermador Freezer Column Features
- Diamond Ice makers
- Ultra clarity water filters
- Stainless steel interiors
- Theater lighting
- Soft touch drawers
- Full-width door bins
- SuperFreeze® settings
- WiFi-enabled Home Connect app integration
Wine Refrigerators
Thermador offers both column and undercounter wine refrigeration options. Full columns come in either 18 or 24-inch sizes. The 18-inch columns can hold up to 58 bottles of wine and offer two temperature zones.
The 24-inch columns can store up to 92 bottles and can store up to 92 bottles. Thermador’s current under-counter Wine Reserve is 24 inches wide and can store up to 41 bottles.
Undercounter Refrigeration
Aside from under-counter wine coolers, Thermador makes a variety of under-counter refrigeration units including:
- Combination refrigerator and freezer drawers
- Undercounter glass door refrigerators
All of Thermador’s under-counter refrigerators come with luxury features such as door open alarms, soft closing doors, digital temperature settings, and even custom panel options.
Related Post: Your Guide to Buying a New Refrigerator
Thermador Ranges
Thermador ranges exemplify exceptional quality and design features that discerning food enthusiasts will love. Choose from excellent features like griddle burners, induction cooking, or Thermador’s iconic gas-powered Star Burners. Indoor grill configurations can also be added as an upgrade.
Choose from two levels of cooking range. The Pro Harmony features options for gas-powered, dual-fuel-powered, or an all-induction cooktop range. The Pro Grand series offers cooking options for gas or dual-fuel cooktops. The Pro Grand series also features a combination of dual steam and convection ovens.
Exceptional Features in Thermador Ranges
- A standard temperature probe in Pro Harmony 36 and 48-inch models.
- 3-point temperature probe in Pro Grand Models.
- 4 oven modes on gas ranges.
- 7 oven modes on dual fuel ranges.
- Ultra powerful gas burners with 22,000 BTUs.
- Warming drawers in the dual fuel 48″ and 60″ models.
- All telescopic racks on the 36, 46, 60-inch ranges. With a combination of a telescopic rack and a slide-in rack on the 30-inch model.
- WiFi connectivity for Home Connect app controls
- Customizable cooktop configurations for grill, griddle, or induction zones.
- Gas or Dual Fuel configuration options.
- Standout features in the Pro Harmony 36 and 48-inch ranges:
- 2 ExtraLow burners
- Touch screen displays
- Home Connect smart home app compatibility
- Optional middle griddle configuration
- Pro Grand
- 4 ExtraLow burners
- Induction options
- Chronometer
- Panel lighting
- Liberty Induction Module (Pro Grand Dual Fuel)
Thermador Cooktops
Choose from gas, electric, or induction cooktops that all benefit from Thermador’s century of innovations.
Gas Cooktops
Thermador’s gas-powered cooktops are split into the Star Burner Series and the Pedestal Star Burner Series. The first offers baseline luxury features such as styles that resemble the Pro Harmony ranges including options for ExtraLow burners, a 16K BTU center burner, and temperature control knobs with haptics.
The Pedestal Star Burner series improves on these features with raised burner pedestals, easy-to-clean finishes, and an 18,000 BTU center burner. Other additions include upgraded dynamic LED lighting, additional ExtraLow burners, knob haptics, and glass control panels.
Both the Star Burner and Pedestal Star Burner gas cooktops are available in 30 and 36-inch sizes.
Induction Cooking
Thermador produces induction cooktops with some of the most expansive features in the luxury market. Their designs offer powerful quick response heating with precise controls that true home chefs will enjoy. Overall, these cooktops support the full gambit of cooking techniques from high-power rapid boiling to delicate simmering.
There are three levels in Thermador’s induction cooktop line of products. In order, these levels are Heritage, Liberty, and Freedom. Each step up in product design adds improved and additional features.
Heritage Cooktops
This represents Thermador’s baseline induction cooking features and is the only induction series that features a circular heating element.
- 7 round inductors
- Black or mirrored silver finish
- 17 heat settings
- Shut off timers for safety
- PowerBoost
- Available in 30 and 36-inch sizes
Liberty Cooktops
A go-to option for home chefs who value flexibility and smart features when cooking. The Liberty series offers many improvements to the Heritage’s excellent technology, adding Home Connect compatibility, a stopwatch timer, and other features including the following:
- 11 stacked inductors in 3 extra-large cooking zones that accommodate large and small cookware.
- MoveMode that preserves your heat settings from one zone to the next.
- HeatShift that lets you control temperature settings just by sliding a pan along the surface.
- Preset cooking modes for easy, streamlined meal preparation.
Liberty cooktops are available in titanium gray or silver mirror finishes in either 30 or 36-inches.
Freedom Cooktops
Enjoy the exceptional luxury of the largest fully usable induction cooking space. The Thermador Freedom series is the culmination of their cooktop innovations. Freedom improves on Liberty’s features with the following features:
- 48-56 Inductors that create a fully usable induction cooking space.
- Sapphire Glow dynamic lighting that follows the position of your cookware on the 36-inch model.
- Control the temperature by moving cookware up, down, or diagonally with MyZone heat setting controls.
- TeppanyakiPro mode that creates a heated and non-heated area on a flat grilling surface.
- Thermador wireless cooking sensor compatibility.
The Freedom series is available in 30 and 36-inch sizes in either a framed or unframed dark gray finish.
Electric Cooktops
Thermador offers two versions of electric radiant heating cooktops, one with knob controls and one with touch controls. Both series are available in 30 and 36-inch sizes, offer 3000 Watts of power, and include a Dual Zone bridge heating element. The touch control series improves on the baseline features with a total of 17 power levels, a smart frying sensor, and Thermador’s PowerBoost mode on the 36-inch model. Both versions are sleek black glass tops that will add a smooth modern touch to your kitchen.
Ventilation
Complete the cooking area of your kitchen with a Thermador Masterpiece or Professional over-the-range ventilation unit. They produce many styles and configurations to fit your dream designs including under cabinet, chimney, island, downdraft, and custom inserts. Some ventilation options will need additional accessories to ensure proper ventilation. Give our Thermador experts a call to learn more about installing a range ventilation system.
Thermador Wall Ovens
Convenience, performance, and stylish design are all a part of Thermador’s line of luxury wall ovens. Both single and double oven configurations are available with a mountain of luxury features to make making a meal a smooth modern experience that will make your kitchen a joyous place every time you step into it.
Standard among Thermador ovens is the ability to connect them to the Home Connect smart app, through which you can control and monitor your oven even when you have to step away from the kitchen.
Another standard feature is the optimized convection baking design that provides highly efficient and reliable performance. Each oven features multiple pre-programmed cooking modes, Sabbath mode, soft closing hinges, rapid self-cleaning, telescopic racks, and more.
Both single and double ovens can be included as part of a kitchen appliance package, and possibly qualify for Thermador’s One-Two-Free rebate program. Speed ovens, built-in microwave ovens, and warming drawers are all popular options to add to a built-in wall oven package.
Thermador Microwaves
A modern kitchen isn’t complete without a microwave oven to match. Thermador offers several microwave designs to elevate your kitchen’s design. Each design comes with multiple automatic cooking modes and smart sensor cooking to support your kitchen’s capabilities.
They produce traditional over-the-range microwaves, modern built-in microwaves that pair well with wall ovens, speed ovens for more cooking flexibility, and convenient under-counter drawer microwaves for optimal space organization. All Thermador microwaves come in either 24 or 30-inch sizes.
Thermador Dishwashers
While many of Thermador’s innovations and products focus on heating and preparing food, everyone eventually has to wash the dishes.
At the baseline, Thermador’s dishwashers offer 162-degree Fahrenheit sanitizing wash cycles, WiFi compatibility, the Chef’s Tool Drawer 3rd dish rack, touch controls, and smart sensors that automatically adjust settings for different levels of dirt on dishes.
Thermador produces three series of dishwashers: the Emerald, Sapphire, and Star Sapphire. Each level is available in Masterpiece, Professional, or custom panel designs. The following are the basic differences between the three series.
Emerald
- 48 db
- 5 cycles
- 6 wash options
Sapphire
- 44 db
- 7 cycles and 6 options
- Flexible folding tines on dish racks
- Sapphire Glow interior lights
- Crystal Protect water softener
- StarDry™ with zeolite
- Ball bearing wheels on upper and lower racks
Star Sapphire
- 42 db
- Stainless steel tub
- 7 cycles and 7 options
- Entertainer’s Drawer 3rd Rack
- Lower folding glass care rack
- Multi-color StarGlow® Interior lights customized with the Home Connect App
- Ball Bearing wheels on all racks
- Plus the other features from the Sapphire design
One-Two-Free Program from January 1 to December 31, 2024
Thermador is offering an unprecedented way to experience the luxury and performance of their appliances. Throughout 2024, if you purchase qualifying appliances you can get up to three gifts or discounted upgrades included in your appliance package.
Available deals may change throughout the year, for the most up-to-date information visit Electronic Express’ Thermador Rebates.
What earns a free appliance with One-Two-Free?
This program starts with you building an appliance package. To add free Thermador products to your appliance package you must start it with either qualifying refrigeration products OR qualifying cooking products.
Qualifying refrigeration products include:
- Any built-in bottom freezer refrigerator
- Any freestanding bottom-freezer refrigerator
- Any 2 Freedom® refrigeration columns
Qualifying cooking products include:
- Any 30, 36, 48, or 60-inch Professional Range
- Any cooktop/rangetop + any wall oven
How to Earn Free Appliances or Upgrades
- Buying just one eligible appliance qualifies for either one free appliance or one free upgrade.
- If you buy both a cooking and a refrigeration appliance, you get 2 free products or upgrades.
- If you buy a total of 3 appliances, 1 from cooking and 2 from refrigeration, then you can receive up to 3 free products or upgrades.
Qualifying free appliances include ventilation, dishwashers, microwaves, speed ovens, and warming drawers. Thermador is also offering 50% on built-in coffee machines and select undercounter refrigeration appliances as upgrades for the One-Two-Free program.
Visit Thermador’s Star Savings Estimator to start building your appliance packages and see your options for the One-Two-Free program.
Thoughts from Thermador Users
An Elevated Cooking Experience
Rena Awada, Food Blogger and Content Creator at HealthyFitnessMeals, LLC, said “What drew me to purchase a Thermador appliance was its reputation for high performance and durability.” She now owns a Thermador cooking range, which, as she says, “has truly elevated my cooking experience.” When cooking, she now enjoys the efficiency, precision, and reliability that her range offers.
To prospective Thermador buyers, Awada said, “It’s an investment in quality and excellence that will undoubtedly enhance [your] culinary journey.”
Why an Interior Designer Chooses Thermador
Niki Tashe, a Professional Interior Designer with Kitchen Renovation Singapore, has recommended and installed several Thermador appliances for his clients. When asked why he chose Thermador appliances, Tashe said “I love finding products that really make a space shine. I chose Thermador because they’re known for top-notch quality and cutting-edge innovation in appliances.”
In terms of specific features that he recommends, Tashe said “The Star Burner system caught my eye—it offers precise control and even cooking, which is crucial for my clients. Plus, their sleek designs fit perfectly with the upscale kitchens I design.”
To people who are thinking about buying a Thermador appliance, Tashe said “If you want appliances that are both fancy and functional, Thermador is a great choice. They’ll make your kitchen look amazing, and make cooking easier and more enjoyable. Trust me, your home will thank you!”
Contact Us for Additional Customer Support
If you need more support while shopping for a Thermador, contact our appliance experts at Electronic Express who will help you evaluate your options and find the perfect choice for your kitchen. And if you would like to see the beauty of a Thermador appliance in person, come visit our Luxury Appliance Showroom at our Home Office.
Another fantastic luxury brand to shop for is JennAir. Check out our JennAir Buying Guide to learn more!