When I was growing up food was left on the table after the big noon meal and covered with a table cloth ready for the evening meal. Potlucks were sit out in the morning at church and eaten after church. Only thing keeping food warm/cool was foil it was wrapped in. Breakfast leftovers of scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage were left on the stove and eaten all day if anyone got hungry between meals.

I let things cool before I put them away, because I don't want the cold things already inside to get warm. After they cool, they do get put in the fridge, or freezer straight away.

I'm always leery of potlucks, where food has been sitting out. I don't know how long it was on the cook's counter, or in the car before it got to the buffet table.

A lot of times, I put the food on my plate to eat and then, right away, pack the rest for the frig. It helps me not go and get seconds. If it is a whole roasted chicken, I will cover it loosely, eat my supper, then go pick the meat off the bones and refrigerate. I try and not let anything set out for more than 1 hour after I cook it before it goes in the frig. I try also and take some masking tape and date things that I put in the freezer and also jars of stuff I open and put in the frig. Do the same with spices as sometimes those best by dates get rubbed off.

As someone who has worked in catering for years, running my own restaurant, and having to complete hygiene certificates galore, all these foods can be re-heated, but the main thing, particularly with the rice, is to make sure it is thoroughly reheated, not just warmed.
Cooked food should never be left at room temperature, so either eat it, or get it into the fridge as soon as you can. Hot dishes should only be held on a buffet for a maximum of 2 hours.
Be aware that a "best before" label is just a manufacturer way of getting you to throw out food which is safe, but a "use by" should be paid more attention to.

I found a container of sour cream that had migrated to the back of my fridge. It was still sealed but 2 months out of date. Upon opening, there was no sign of mold or unusual smell. We consumed it. We are still on this earth.

But here is a question--does turning a closed sour cream container on its head (lid) actually preserve the life of the sour cream? Or is it all an old wives' tale?

I have a "squeeze tube" of plain yogurt that has been in my fridge for about a year. I don't eat it but use it for non-food reasons. No sign of mold.

If you grew up with church potlucks then you know what foods to avoid and whose food to avoid. Learned that from my grandmother who would quietly say, don't get any of that one. LOL

Me too! We've never been sick from any of the things that we keep and reheat. I can't see having to cook things every day just because someone, somewhere once got sick from some leftovers that were probably improperly stored. I've learned not to let fearful articles on the internet which may or may not have reasonable proof behind them panic me into things. I try to use common sense.

It used to be, food had to be cooled before refrigerating (so we were told), but not anymore as far as I'm concerned and I am in my 70s, still alive. I guess we just think differently nowadays.

And then you get the "don't use a partially cut onion" people who would have you believe it is somehow poisonous. If true I wouldn't be here. I always have a little ziploc bag in the fridge with odds and ends of vegetables that I add to salad.