Thermador refrigerator terminology covers three kinds of words: the cooling system (dual compressors, SuperCool, SuperFreeze), the storage (ThermaFresh drawers, counter-depth, panel-ready) and the lineup (Freedom, Masterpiece and Professional, columns and French doors). This glossary explains each in plain English, with what our site says about it and an honest note where it does not. What a term means for your exact refrigerator is in your owner’s manual, and a feature missing from one of our pages is not proof that your refrigerator lacks it.
What are dual compressors?
A compressor is the pump at the heart of the cooling system. Our dual compressor guide explains that Thermador refrigerators use two independent compressors, one for the refrigerator compartment and one for the freezer, each with its own evaporator and temperature control, so the air does not mix between compartments. Most refrigerators use one compressor and a damper that shares the cold between the two. Our model pages list dual compressors on French door, bottom-freezer and side-by-side models such as the T36FT830NS, T36BB935SS and T42FD820NS.
The practical meaning is that each compartment is cooled on its own, and our guide says this reduces flavor transfer between them. If a compressor misbehaves, the symptom can show up in just one compartment. See our dual compressor explainer for the idea in more detail.
What are ThermaFresh, SuperCool and SuperFreeze?
ThermaFresh is a controlled drawer. Our ThermaFresh explainer describes a sealed drawer with its own temperature and humidity, whose advantage is steadiness rather than extra cold. It is not a freezer; it holds above freezing by design. Our model pages list ThermaFresh on models such as the T36BB935SS, the T36FT820NS and the T24IR905SP.
SuperCool is the rapid-chilling function our T36FT810NS page mentions, and SuperFreeze is the boost function for the freezer, covered in our SuperFreeze guide. Both are temporary modes you start and let finish.
What are the Freedom, Masterpiece and Professional collections?
They are Thermador’s three design families. Our glossary describes the Masterpiece collection as a sleek, minimal design with clean lines and flush handles, and the Professional collection as a bold, commercial-inspired design with heavy-duty handles. Freedom is the name for the modular column refrigeration system, where independent full-height columns install flush with the cabinetry. Collections affect the look, the handles and the configurations on offer. They do not tell you, on their own, what a given refrigerator does, so look at the model page.
What is a column, and what is SideTouchControl?
A column is a full-height unit that does one job: refrigerator, freezer, wine or ice maker. Our pages list Freedom refrigerator columns in several widths, such as the T18IR800SP, the T24IR905SP, the T30IR905SP and the T36IR905SP. You can place two columns side by side to make a refrigerator and freezer pair that looks like one built-in wall.
SideTouchControl is the single control panel that, according to our guide, manages paired Freedom columns together. Our SideTouchControl explainer describes how the panel is used. If you own a column, your manual tells you whether your units can be paired.
What do panel-ready, counter-depth and French door mean?
Panel-ready means the door is designed to take a custom panel that matches your cabinets, so the refrigerator blends in. Our model pages list built-in and panel-ready refrigerators across the lineup. Counter-depth means the refrigerator is shallower than a standard one, so the front sits close to the edge of the cabinets around it. Our T36FT810NS page, for example, lists a counter-depth profile. French door describes a refrigerator with two doors that open from the middle, as on the T36FT830NS and the T36BT925NS. Our refrigerator buying guide explains how the layouts compare.
How do you find out which terms apply to your refrigerator?
Start with the model number on the rating plate; your owner’s manual shows where it is. Look it up on our model pages, where the first line of the specifications names the collection, the width and the main features, and then read the same entry in your owner’s manual. The manual is the authority for how a feature works, how you start it and what the display means.
Be careful with look-alike names. SuperCool and SuperFreeze sound alike but act on different compartments, ThermaFresh is a drawer and not a cooling mode and a column is a format, not a feature. If a salesperson or a page uses a term you cannot find in your manual, ask what it refers to before you rely on it for a purchase or a repair decision.
What do the other common terms mean?
A few general terms come up when you read about refrigerators. The evaporator is the cold coil inside the cabinet that absorbs heat, and the defrost system melts the frost that forms on it. The condenser is the coil that releases the heat outside the cabinet. A gasket is the soft seal around the door. Home Connect is Thermador’s smart platform for remote monitoring on models that list Wi-Fi. These are general definitions, and our guides to refrigerator temperature problems and refrigerator error codes show where they matter when something goes wrong.
Do not touch the sealed system. Evaporators, condensers and compressors are for a technician. If water reaches an outlet or the cord, switch off the breaker at the panel while standing on a dry floor, and do not pull the plug out of a wet outlet. We are an independent repair company, not the manufacturer. Our Thermador refrigerator repair page explains how a visit works, and you can book a visit online.
