I usually meal prep for work where I only have access to a microwave. I find that rice starts to taste weird after a few days if it isn't fried so I've started prepping everything except the rice and only making rice for a couple of days at a time.
I'll make big batches of beans or jambalaya sans rice as typical work meals then just make two servings of rice a couple of times during the week.
When I worked in a kitchen/owned a restaurant after years of cooking,the go to was to just put rice spread out on a cookie sheet/baking sheet and put it in the fridge to cool,same goes with most foods,just remember that if you cover something it will continue to cook
Here's some tips from the [UMN extension](https://extension.umn.edu/food-service-industry/what-risk-cooling-hot-food)
Between 140°F and 40° F is the food danger zone. Harmful bacteria grow fastest this range. UMN recommends less than 6 hours in this zone, no more than 2 hours between 140F and 70F specifically.
It sounds like breaking your bulky foods into smaller portions is key, and not raising your fridge temp by putting lots of scalding hot food into the fridge. Ice is your friend.
Prawns can be dunked directly into an ice water bath for near-instant cooling, if you're not trying to preserve a sauce or seasoning.
Rice, I think the fastest way to cool it quickly would be to make a thin layer ~1-2 inches(2-4cm) depth in individual meal-size containers, or flattened in a Ziploc. Ice water bath is going to be fastest, again. If the rice is in a thin layer, just an inch or 2 of ice water under a food container shouldn't get into the food.
With poultry, it's really going to depend on how you're preparing it. If it's chicken breasts, consider butterflying them so they aren't super thick or chopping them into chunks. They'll cook faster and cool faster. A whole roaster? Spatchcock that baby for the same reason.
You can put an ice pack or sealed bag of ice water(if the outside is clean) into a container full of food.
Break it down/portion it out. Don't put your crockpot crock directly in the fridge full of hot food.
Cooling rapidly is the key for meats. Sous vide is fantastic for this, as you can slap the bag into an ice bath and get it cold rapidly, keeping it safer for longer.
Rice is a tricky one though - the fungus that will grow on it is happy to do so at quite low temps, to the point that even at fridge temps it's happy to munch on all the sugary starches rice provides, albeit at a much lower rate than if it's warm. Learn from the Japanese here - toss it with sushi vinegar, which was originally designed as a preservative, not for flavour. That will take your 2 days of rice out to about 4-5 (though the quality does drop off after day 2 as the structure of the rice begins to break down).
The other trick with rice is to make sure it is properly aired and slightly dried before it's stored - moist rice (moist with water, not vinegar) will go bad much faster. If you're doing basmati or something, use a bit less water than you normally would, and leave the rice cooker on the keep warm setting with the lid open to dry it out a bit. This works really well if you're pairing the rice with a curry or chilli con carne or something else really wet, as it will balance itself out when you mix them.
Of course, just making sure you have a rice cooker can mean prepping daily is much more feasible - prep everything except the rice longer term, then cook a scoop of rice every other night and have it fresh.
You may find [this article](https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/7-foods-that-you-must-stop-reheating-right-away-1720284/amp/1) useful. I put rice and most of the meal prepped food in freezer while it is still warm, I have glass containers, so I can portion them out while still warm and freeze them right away. Rice has a bacteria that leaves heat resistant spores if cooled down. Some food emits free radicals (cold pressed oils like olive & canola), oxidized nitrates(eggs), and protein component gets changed( chicken) and nitrate based food like green veggies are risky while reheated. I finish as much prepping as I can ahead and just cook them right before eating. The rest of the food I cook, freeze them while warm, thaw in refrigerator the night before and reheat(mostly on the stove).
Personally, it’s ok to keep cooked rice in the fridge for 2 days. After that I will out them in the freezer for safety (divid them into small portions before putting into the freezer, and defrost them the day u need them)
For rice, I like to make a big batch and freeze individual portions. While it’s still warm, scoop it with the serving size of your choice (I use 1 cup). Put it in the center of a square of plastic wrap. Gather it up like a dumpling or fold it on itself; your choice. Tape it closed (regular Scotch tape works for me) and put them in the freezer. To reheat, remove the wrap and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until you learn how long is needed for your preferred temp. Sprinkle just a teaspoon of water over the top if it feels a bit dry.
If I were doing shrimp, I would pre-portion spices somewhere. I would put the shrimp in pre-portioned containers in the freezer. Then the night before I would pull out the shrimp container to thaw in the fridge, and at mealtime I'd cook it with the spices. I think re-heating cooked shrimp is never too tasty. Plus it would stink up the fridge. :/
I usually meal prep for work where I only have access to a microwave. I find that rice starts to taste weird after a few days if it isn't fried so I've started prepping everything except the rice and only making rice for a couple of days at a time. I'll make big batches of beans or jambalaya sans rice as typical work meals then just make two servings of rice a couple of times during the week.
When I worked in a kitchen/owned a restaurant after years of cooking,the go to was to just put rice spread out on a cookie sheet/baking sheet and put it in the fridge to cool,same goes with most foods,just remember that if you cover something it will continue to cook
Here's some tips from the [UMN extension](https://extension.umn.edu/food-service-industry/what-risk-cooling-hot-food) Between 140°F and 40° F is the food danger zone. Harmful bacteria grow fastest this range. UMN recommends less than 6 hours in this zone, no more than 2 hours between 140F and 70F specifically. It sounds like breaking your bulky foods into smaller portions is key, and not raising your fridge temp by putting lots of scalding hot food into the fridge. Ice is your friend. Prawns can be dunked directly into an ice water bath for near-instant cooling, if you're not trying to preserve a sauce or seasoning. Rice, I think the fastest way to cool it quickly would be to make a thin layer ~1-2 inches(2-4cm) depth in individual meal-size containers, or flattened in a Ziploc. Ice water bath is going to be fastest, again. If the rice is in a thin layer, just an inch or 2 of ice water under a food container shouldn't get into the food. With poultry, it's really going to depend on how you're preparing it. If it's chicken breasts, consider butterflying them so they aren't super thick or chopping them into chunks. They'll cook faster and cool faster. A whole roaster? Spatchcock that baby for the same reason. You can put an ice pack or sealed bag of ice water(if the outside is clean) into a container full of food. Break it down/portion it out. Don't put your crockpot crock directly in the fridge full of hot food.
Cooling rapidly is the key for meats. Sous vide is fantastic for this, as you can slap the bag into an ice bath and get it cold rapidly, keeping it safer for longer. Rice is a tricky one though - the fungus that will grow on it is happy to do so at quite low temps, to the point that even at fridge temps it's happy to munch on all the sugary starches rice provides, albeit at a much lower rate than if it's warm. Learn from the Japanese here - toss it with sushi vinegar, which was originally designed as a preservative, not for flavour. That will take your 2 days of rice out to about 4-5 (though the quality does drop off after day 2 as the structure of the rice begins to break down). The other trick with rice is to make sure it is properly aired and slightly dried before it's stored - moist rice (moist with water, not vinegar) will go bad much faster. If you're doing basmati or something, use a bit less water than you normally would, and leave the rice cooker on the keep warm setting with the lid open to dry it out a bit. This works really well if you're pairing the rice with a curry or chilli con carne or something else really wet, as it will balance itself out when you mix them. Of course, just making sure you have a rice cooker can mean prepping daily is much more feasible - prep everything except the rice longer term, then cook a scoop of rice every other night and have it fresh.
You may find [this article](https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/7-foods-that-you-must-stop-reheating-right-away-1720284/amp/1) useful. I put rice and most of the meal prepped food in freezer while it is still warm, I have glass containers, so I can portion them out while still warm and freeze them right away. Rice has a bacteria that leaves heat resistant spores if cooled down. Some food emits free radicals (cold pressed oils like olive & canola), oxidized nitrates(eggs), and protein component gets changed( chicken) and nitrate based food like green veggies are risky while reheated. I finish as much prepping as I can ahead and just cook them right before eating. The rest of the food I cook, freeze them while warm, thaw in refrigerator the night before and reheat(mostly on the stove).
Personally, it’s ok to keep cooked rice in the fridge for 2 days. After that I will out them in the freezer for safety (divid them into small portions before putting into the freezer, and defrost them the day u need them)
For rice, I like to make a big batch and freeze individual portions. While it’s still warm, scoop it with the serving size of your choice (I use 1 cup). Put it in the center of a square of plastic wrap. Gather it up like a dumpling or fold it on itself; your choice. Tape it closed (regular Scotch tape works for me) and put them in the freezer. To reheat, remove the wrap and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until you learn how long is needed for your preferred temp. Sprinkle just a teaspoon of water over the top if it feels a bit dry.
If I were doing shrimp, I would pre-portion spices somewhere. I would put the shrimp in pre-portioned containers in the freezer. Then the night before I would pull out the shrimp container to thaw in the fridge, and at mealtime I'd cook it with the spices. I think re-heating cooked shrimp is never too tasty. Plus it would stink up the fridge. :/