Impact of the method chosen for measuring temperatures on the efficacy of rapid cooling of foods in catering facilities

► Experimental measures of food temperatures during cooling in catering. ► Assessment of the food temperature distribution at the container centres. ► The food temperatures may be higher than 26 °C at the end of cooling cycle. ► Consequently, cooling durations may be longer than the recommended limits. ► The efficiency of the cooling step depends on the temperature monitoring methods.