How I Make Shabbos in One Hour (A Busy Working Mom’s Secret)

A few days ago I shared a little video on social media and it kind of blew up. People wanted to know: How do you make Shabbos in one hour as a working mom of six?

Wanna know my secret?

I learned it from my momma. Takeout!

Just kidding. (Sort of.)

The real answer? I shop in my freezer.

A Tour of My Freezers (Yes, Freezers, Plural)

Let me give you a peek inside. At any given moment you’ll find:

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Brownies. Blondies. Cakes. Cookies. And not just one of each. I’m talking four to six of each, minimum.

Then there’s soup. Two kinds: Chicken Soup and Beef Porridge (in the winter).  Each portioned in servings for eight (because we’re a family of eight). I keep at least ten portions of each. That’s twenty weeks worth of soup (a little less if we’re having company) just sitting there waiting for me.

Challahs, fully baked and wrapped, ready to thaw and warm. Anywhere from three to ten at a time.

Brisket, sliced and swimming in gravy, about twenty slices per pan. I keep eight to ten pans on hand.

Meatballs in two varieties: classic, Grandma’s Meatballs in marinara and my famous Mini Cocktail Meatballs in sweet and sour sauce.

Portioned lukshen (thin soup noodles), Sauteed Onions (the world’s best topper for mashed potatoes), and Grilled Chicken Breasts packed in twos. I’ll have at least twenty packages (of 2 cutlets each) ready for chicken caesar, sandwiches, or whatever chicken salad situation arises.

Mashed Potatoes, portioned into servings of eight to ten. At least six portions.

And Potato Kugel (most kugels freeze exceptionally well) in loaf tins. Sometimes two. Sometimes ten. Depends on how ambitious my last bulk baking/cooking day was.

How I Cook: One Recipe, One Day, Total Focus

Here’s the method behind the madness. I don’t try to cook five things at once. I pick one recipe and spend a half day on it. Just that recipe. Nothing else.

A chicken soup day. A brisket day. A brownie day.

All four burners going. All three racks in the oven working. The biggest pots and pans I own. And if a recipe requires the food processor or the mixer? I’m making the absolute most of it before I have to clean that thing.

Depending on the recipe, this takes two to three hours or five to six hours. It has to be a Sunday (for those in the States) or a work from home day. But here’s the thing: when you’re focused on one recipe instead of juggling three, you actually get it right. And you end up with enough to last for weeks or even months.

The Doubling Rule: Always Feed Your Freezer

Now let’s say I’m in a rush. It’s Erev Shabbos and I’ve run out of potato kugel. (It happens.) I’m not going to spend a frantic afternoon peeling four bags of potatoes. But if I have to make one kugel anyway? I double it. One for tonight, one for the freezer.

This is the rule I live by: always feed your freezer. Even when you’re cooking for just one Shabbos, double the recipe (an extra tin of brownies, an extra container of soup). One for now, one for later. Always.

Do You Need Two Freezers?

I’ll be honest. I have two freezers. If you’re going to cook and bake to this degree of bulk, it’s a luxury and a must.

But if you only have one freezer? You can absolutely make this work. Use the doubling method. Every time you cook, feed your freezer something. Before you know it, you’ll have a stash that makes Shabbos prep feel like a breeze instead of a marathon.

How I Freeze: Containers, Tins, and the Reynolds Wrap Rule

For soup, noodles, and sauteed onions: plastic containers with lids. Simple.

For pretty much everything else: disposable tin pans, either 9x13s or loaf tins. Then I double wrap with foil. And not just any foil. Good quality foil. Reynolds Wrap. This is not the place to skimp. Wrap it tight.

For challahs: double wrap in foil, then slip into a plastic shopping bag and tie it tight.

How I Thaw and Serve: Hot, Not Warm

This is the most important part. Reheat everything gently, but make sure you’re serving food that is HOT. Not warm. Hot. If it’s just warm, you’ll taste the freezer. Nobody wants that.

For chicken soup specifically, here’s my process. I cook it for a minimum of four hours (often more). Then I strain and portion all the broth into containers. The chicken gets removed from the skin and bones and portioned separately. And the vegetables? They get tossed. After four plus hours of cooking they are dead. Dead as a doornail.  Those veggies have given everything they have to give.

When it’s time to serve, I let the soup thaw, then add fresh vegetables: carrots at least, plus celery, parsnip, whatever you like. Bring it to a boil, let it simmer, and serve. Fresh vegetables in a deeply flavored broth. That’s how you get soup that tastes like you made it that day with soooo much love.

(If you freeze my Beef Porridge here is a special tip for warming and serving.  Let it thaw completely before reheating and add water (and season with more salt) because it thickens in the freezer. Then reheat on low while continuously stirring with a flat edged wooden spoon along the bottom of the pot so it doesn’t burn).

The Bottom Line

Bulk cooking isn’t about being a superhero in the kitchen. It’s about being strategic. One recipe at a time. Biggest pots you’ve got. Double everything. Feed your freezer. Wrap it tight. Reheat it right.

And when Friday afternoon rolls around and you’ve got an hour to make it happen, with eight hungry people waiting and guests showing up soon, you’ll open that freezer door and think: I’ve got this.

Because you do.