A method and apparatus is disclosed relating to food preparation in commercial kitchens. The disclosed extreme vacuum cooling (EVC) technology and apparatus can work in ultra low pressure conditions with adaptive pressure control to avoid potential liquid splash inside the vacuum chamber caused by un-controlled low pressure conditions. Clean air or inert gas is added into the vacuum chamber so that the chamber pressure can track a setpoint trajectory that may have ramp up periods in order to avoid liquid splash events. The apparatus allows the user to automatically cool various kinds of foods based on a recipe with minimal human interaction and meet food safety regulations.