Combination microwave with air fry
Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Combination Microwave with Air Fryer
Model RHM2564 — United Kingdom
A 25-litre combination microwave whose air-fry function is nine fixed automatic programmes, eight of them frozen convenience foods.
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Where to get real advice for this machine
Almost everything that changes a cooking answer is a property of the architecture rather than the badge. This is a combination microwave with air fry, and the Combination microwave with air fry page carries the cooking guidance that actually applies to it.
On air-fry mode alone, treat it as an oven-style machine: 10–20% longer than a basket and a proper preheat. On a COMBINATION mode, no published air-fryer time applies at all — microwave energy cooks the interior on a completely different schedule, and the manufacturer's own combination charts are the only usable source. The turntable, where fitted, must usually be removed for air frying; check the manual, because the metal accessories some of these ship with must not be used in microwave modes.
That is guidance for the type. On preheating, this machine’s own manual is quoted further down this page, and where the two differ the manual is the one to follow.
Does it genuinely air-fry?
Partly — see the assessment
Assessed as partial. A supplied air-fryer tray elevates food on the higher wire rack, and the appliance has convection heating with a fan, so air does reach around the food. But no air-fry temperature is published at any point, the nine programmes are fixed, and a 25-litre microwave cavity has neither the air velocity nor the thermal recovery of a drawer. The manufacturer's own instruction to turn the food during eight of the nine programmes is itself evidence that the airflow does not do the whole job.
- Air reaches every surface of the food
What we know about this machine
Read from Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Digital Combination Microwave with Air Fryer Function RHM2564 — Instructions (PDF), retrieved on 2026-08-13.
It is rated at 900 W, a modest rating, so it will take longer to come back to temperature after a cold load. It has a single cooking cavity, so everything in it cooks at one temperature for one time. It is sold as 25 litres, which measures the whole cavity and not the area of a shelf or tray.
The figures above are the manufacturer’s. What they mean for cooking is AirfryerHQ’s reading of them, not a measurement — nobody here has run this machine.
Size and capacity
- Advertised capacity
- 25 litresA volume, not a cooking area.
Power and heat
- Power
- 900 W
Setup and cleaning
- Cooking zones
- 1
- Dishwasher safe
- Glass plateEverything else is a hand-wash, and the main unit never goes in.
- Supplied with
- Glass plate, Glass plate support, Higher grill rack, Lower grill rack, Air fryer tray
In the manual’s own words: The manual says nothing about preheating for air fry. For convection it recommends preheating and has a function for it: the buzzer sounds twice when the temperature is reached, and the cooking time cannot be entered until then.
Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 954/6345.
9 figures we could not establish
Each of these says WHY it is missing. “Not recorded by the sources consulted” means the manufacturer does not publish it in the document we read — not that nobody looked, and not that the figure does not exist.
- Usable cooking area
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not published.
- Chamber
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not published.
- On the worktop
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not published.
- Weight
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not published.
- Power range as published
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — The 900W figure is the microwave output power specifically, not the appliance's total input.
- Temperature range
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — No air-fry or convection temperature range is published.
- Adjusts in
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not stated.
- Standby power
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not published by this manufacturer. Very few models in this catalogue publish a standby figure at all.
- Preheating
- Not recorded by the sources consulted — Not stated for the air-fry function.
What each setting actually does
Read from the manual. The first column is the name printed on the panel; the second is what that setting is in plain terms, so you can use advice written for somebody else’s appliance.
| On the panel | In plain terms | Starts at | Settable range | Preheat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-1 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-2 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-3 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-4 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-5 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-6 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-7 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-8 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
| H-9 | Air fry | Not printed in the manual | Not stated | Not stated |
- H-1: Frozen chips, 300g. Turn the food part-way through, as the manual instructs for eight of the nine.
- H-2: Frozen potato croquettes, 350g.
- H-3: Frozen calamari, 250g.
- H-4: Frozen onion rings, 250g.
- H-5: Frozen chicken nuggets, 350g.
- H-6: Frozen breaded chicken or fish fillets, 400g. The largest load any of the nine accepts.
- H-7: Frozen scampi, 250g.
- H-8: Roasted vegetables, 200g. The only one of the nine that is not a frozen convenience food, and the smallest load.
- H-9: Frozen mini spring rolls, 300g.
Questions owners ask about this machine
Answered from this model’s own manual (Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Digital Combination Microwave with Air Fryer Function RHM2564 — Instructions) and nothing else. Where the manual does not address a question, it is not answered here from another machine’s.
What this manual calls the parts
- Air fryer tray
- The perforated plate the food sits on.For the air fryer function only.
- Higher grill rack, Lower grill rack
- A mesh rack or shelf in an oven-style machine.For grilling and convection cooking only. The air-fryer menu chart names it as the rack to use.For grilling and convection cooking only.
- Glass plate
- The glass plate that turns, and the ring it rides on.Also printed as glass tray. Never placed upside down, and always on its support.
Other manufacturers use different words for the same parts, and sometimes the same word for a different one. What each part is called, brand by brand.
- Before the first cookWhat do I do before using it for the first time?
- Remove all the packaging, including any securing tape on the glass plate and its support, with one exception: the small piece of card on the right-hand wall of the cavity stays. It is the waveguide cover, which the microwaves pass through, and the manual says not to remove it. Check the door and cavity for damage. Then set the clock: the manual says the microwave will not function until it is set.In the manual: Unpacking the microwave; Glass plate installation; Setting the clock.
- Where it stands, and the space it needsWhere can it stand, and how much space does it need?
- Freestanding only: the manual says it must not be built in or used in a cabinet. It asks for at least 7.5 cm between the oven and any adjacent wall, 30 cm clear above, and a minimum installation height of 85 cm. It is not to be installed over a cooker or anything else that produces heat or steam, and the ventilation openings must not be obstructed.In the manual: Microwave oven installation.Why the clearance matters, and where not to stand one
- The parts, and how they go inWhich accessory goes with which function?
- The glass plate and its support stay in for all cooking, and the plate is never placed upside down. The two grill racks, a higher and a lower, are for grilling and convection cooking only. The air fryer tray is for the air fryer function only. Under microwave power, food goes in microwave-safe cookware on the glass plate, never straight onto it, and no metal goes in: no metal pans, handles or trim.In the manual: Parts list, notes; Glass plate installation; Utensil information.
- Opening it while it cooksWhat happens if I open the door while it is cooking?
- It pauses and stays paused: the manual says the Start button must be pressed again to continue after the door has been opened. On the air fryer menus a buzzer sounds part-way through as a reminder to turn the food, and cooking waits for Start after that too. Pressing Stop/Clear twice clears everything. A programme that is set and not started within five minutes is cancelled.In the manual: Pausing cooking; Air Fryer Menu, note; General information.
- Settings the panel does not explainNo buttons respond and there is a key on the display. What is it?
- The child lock. In this mode no buttons work. It is set and cancelled the same way: with the oven idle, hold Stop/Clear for three seconds until there is a long beep. The key symbol appears when it is locked and goes when it is released.In the manual: Child lock function.
Error codes and display states
Only what this manufacturer publishes, and only for this manufacturer. A code means whatever the firmware author decided it means, and reading one across from another brand is the commonest way to misdiagnose a fault.
AirfryerHQ does not hold this code for this manufacturer. That is a statement about this catalogue and not about your appliance: most manufacturers publish no code table at all, and a code's meaning is specific to the firmware that produced it. Do not read a meaning across from another brand — check your own manual, and contact the manufacturer if it is not in there.
Cleaning this model
The parts this machine has, what collects on each and how often it needs doing. Full methods and prohibitions are on the cleaning pages.
Which parts go in the dishwasher
Stated as dishwasher safe for this model: Glass plate. Anything not listed is washed by hand, and the main unit never goes in.
The manual says the glass plate may be washed in warm soapy water or a dishwasher. The waveguide cover on the cavity wall is never removed and never goes in one. Nothing is said of the grill racks or the air fryer tray.
Source: Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Digital Combination Microwave with Air Fryer Function RHM2564 — Instructions.
| Part | What is on it | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Glass plate | Ordinary residue after cooking | When it needs it |
| Higher grill rack, lower grill rack, air fryer tray | Burnt-on residue | After every use |
| Inside the oven | Greasy film | After every use |
| Inside the oven | Lingering smell | When it needs it |
| Cavity walls and floor | Greasy film | About weekly |
| Heating element area | Carbonised deposit | About monthly |
| Vents and air intake | Greasy film | About monthly |
| Door glass | Greasy film | About weekly |
| Exterior and body | Greasy film | About weekly |
| Controls and display | Greasy film | About weekly |
The manual states the air fryer tray is for the air fryer function only. Its material prohibitions are architecture-specific and severe compared with a drawer machine: no metal pans, no metal handles, no metal trim, no wire twist-ties, no melamine, and only microwave-approved cookware.
Replaceable parts
AirfryerHQ holds no replacement-part details for Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Combination Microwave with Air Fryer. That is a statement about this catalogue rather than about the appliance: its removable parts can wear or be lost like any other machine’s, and the manual read for this model does not list them with references we could record. What can be replaced, and what to ask for covers the general case, including where to find the model number a parts desk will ask you for.
Recall and safety status
No recall known to us at the review date
No entry for this model was found in the OPSS product safety register when it was searched for air fryers on 13 August 2026. That is a statement about that search and not a clearance.
No verified recall or safety notice is currently recorded in AirfryerHQ for this appliance. That is a statement about this catalogue and not about the product: AirfryerHQ holds a small number of checked alerts and is not a copy of the UK register. Check the authority's own register before concluding that an appliance is unaffected.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes the UK register of product safety alerts, reports and recalls on GOV.UK, and Electrical Safety First operates a recall checker for electrical appliances. Registering an appliance with its manufacturer is what makes a direct notification possible.
Finding the manual
The document read for this page is Russell Hobbs 4-in-1 25L Digital Combination Microwave with Air Fryer Function RHM2564 — Instructions (PDF), retrieved on 2026-08-13. A different revision, or a booklet for another market, may not match it.
No time or temperature is published for any of the nine air-fryer positions, so none of them becomes a cooking figure and none can be compared with another manufacturer's chart. The manual instructs the cook to turn the food part-way through eight of the nine, which is the appliance telling you its airflow does not do the whole job.
About this model
AirfryerHQ's second combination microwave, which matters because that whole architecture previously rested on one manufacturer. Its air-fry function is not a temperature and a time: it is a menu of nine positions, each tied to one food at one stated weight on the higher wire rack, with neither number published. What it does establish is what this architecture is expected to be used for, and the answer is frozen convenience food.
Owning this machine
The questions that come after the cooking.
- Looking after itFive minutes a week and one check a month, nearly all of it about grease.
- What to clean it withIncluding which tool every manufacturer in this catalogue prohibits.
- The coating, and when a basket is finishedThe part that decides how long this appliance lasts.
- Replacing a part, and what to ask forWhere the model and serial numbers are, and why no order code appears here.
- Accessories, and whether you need themWith the verdicts first and no affiliate links anywhere.
- Repair, replace, or stop using itThe symptoms that mean stop now, and the ones that mean a part.