Compare food dehydrators in America with our helpful Food Dehydrator Comparison sheets. We've compared the benefits and features of each Food Dehydrator to make it easy for you to make the best choice about which model is right for you.
Round vs Square Dehydrators
Which Dehydrator is Right for Me?

Compare BioChef Arizona, Savana and Kalahari Dehydrators

You can shop and compare our range of BioChef Food Dehydrators here.

Dehydrators: Round or Square

Many of us are familiar with the circular style of dehydrator with stackable trays, rather than the newer square design. Read on to learn about the differences between the 2 models and be more prepared when selecting the right dehydrator for you.

Round Dehydrators

With round ehydrators, the heater and fan are located at either the bottom or the top, which, means that the food closest to the fan dries more than food at the other end of the dan. This process can cause the negative impacts, including:

A benefit of a stackable dehydrator is that you can add and remove trays as needed, but it's more economical to use all the trays at once as the model will use the same amount of power.

Square or Rectangular Style Dehydrator

There are big variances when drying food in a square vs circular dehydrator. A rectangular style food dehydrator usually has its fan located at the back of the unit. This functions in a similar way to a fan powered oven, which creates a constant, even flow of heated air. As a result, your food will be dried in the same way.

An additional advantage of this drying system is that you don't have to check the food during the drying cycle as you can relax and know that the food will be dried evenly.

One final advantage of a square/ rectangular dehydrator is that you can usually remove in-between trays to create a wider space when needed, allowing you to leaven bread, prepare yogurt and other foods requiring a higher area.

If you;re still not sure which dehydrator is the right version for you, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll help you make the right decision.

Which dehydrator is the right one for me?

Why dehydrator is best for making beef jerky?

Square dehydrators are always best when it comes to making meat jerky because square dehydrators circulate air in an even, constant flow. If the meat doesn't reach the optimal temperature for dehydration or if there is too much humidity inside the machine, bacteria and microbes will begin to grow, making the jerky unsafe to eat. Because the fans and heating elements are located at the back of the square style dehydrator, the stream of heated air is always consistent, so your jerky will dry at the same level, creating a delicious beef jerky every time.

We recommend the BioChef Arizona 6, 8 or 10 Tray Food Dehydrator, for scrumptios jerky's.

I want to make healthy snacks like dried fruit and fruit roll ups. What's the best model for me?

The BioChef Arizona 6, 8 or 10 Tray Food Dehydrators are perfect for making healthy fruit snacks. The rectangular shape gives even and consistent drying throughout the trays. 

BioChef Arizona Food Dehydrators come with fine mesh sheets (between 1 and 3 sheets, depending on which product you purchase) which is ideal for smaller fruits and vegetables like banana, strawberries and peas, plus non-stick sheet(s) which are perfect for making fruit roll ups.

When deciding between the three dehydrators which one is best for fruits and vegetables, it basically comes down to size and whether or not you want your machine to have an inbuilt timer. The 6 Tray dehydrator does not come with an in-built timer however the 8 & 10 tray dehydrators do. Now, it really just depends on how many people you are drying for, and how much you want to dry at any given time.

Which dehydrators are best for making larger quantities of dried foods?

It's best to use a food dehydrator with a digital timer for making larg batches. This will allow you to set the time you wish to dehydrate your foods and when time is up, the unit will turn off automatically. The BioChef Arizona 8 or 10 Tray Food Dehydrators will be ideal for these requirements.

Which food dehydrator ideal for experimenting with different foods like leavened bread and yogurts?

The BioChef Arizona 6 Tray Food Dehydrator or the Kalahari 8 Tray Food Dehydrator will be the best dehydrator for you to use for this. These models have removable trays which means you can create your desired height required for breads or yogurt jars.

As you can see from the tables above, there are significant differences between various models of food dehydrators in America.

Warranty is an important factor when deciding on a dehydrator. There are big differences between cheap /non-branded imitation food dehydrators. When you purchase from us, you know that you will get an extended warranty, post sales service, parts and accessories and reliable servicing for your unit.