Note: I just got my All Access Pass back! I never had customer service from anything work so fast. I sent a message to Masterclass on Twitter about my dilemma and how I’ve already waited several days with no word back. In less than 5 minutes of hitting that send button, they had written back to ask for more information, solved the problem, and sent a confirmation email that it was solved and my All Access Pass was fixed and ready. All of that in 5 minutes! I was impressed and absolutely delighted to have my Pass back again. Next year, I’ll definitely make sure to renew it before it runs out.
But, about Christmas…last Christmas is when my Masterclass journey began. I had watched all the trailers for the Masterclass courses, from Gordon Ramsay to James Patterson. I desperately wanted to join. I spent a few months saving up the money but I ended up spending it on a few extras for the kids’ Christmas and my son’s birthday directly following the holiday. My husband and I had decided not to exchange gifts that year as funds were a bit tight and we wanted to make sure the kids got what they wanted. So I resigned myself to having to wait another few months for Masterclass.
Christmas morning comes around and I surprise him with something small once the kids are done opening their own gifts. I was excited to have him at least unwrap something, the very last present under the tree. Then he surprised me with something too: he told me to search the tree for something red. In the very back of the tree was a red envelope with my name on it and inside, a card that told me to check my email.
I ran to my computer and opened my emails. There, I found one beautiful email at the very top, telling me that I was gifted a full All Access Pass to Masterclass. I immediately tried to cancel the rest of our plans for the day so I could stay in my cozy Christmas pajamas and start my lessons. I had to settle instead for watching the first two chapters of Gordon Ramsay’s class before I reluctantly tore myself away. It was immediate obsession at first sight.
This Christmas, I didn’t need another All Access Pass gift. I did a few studies for MasterClass, which paid me in Passes (something I couldn’t have been more delighted about!) So this year my husband made sure I had everything I needed to help me with each of the Masterclass cooking courses. He got my the best knives, ones I’ve been dreaming of forever, and got a 26 piece version of them.
Dominique Ansel’s bonbons require an immersion blender – whisking or a mixer won’t do. I wrote it off as one I’d have to skip but now I have an immersion blender.
Thomas Keller’s workbook sometimes refers to his cookbooks for additional lessons and practice. I now own his Bouchon Bakery and Restaurant cookbook set and his Ad Hoc/The French Laundry cookbook set. The Pickling chapter in his first class is a bit confusing for me. The workbook lacked a few answers I was seeking. Then I noticed that it mentioned pickling red onions, exactly what I wanted, was more detailed in his Ad Hoc book. I opened it up and there it was, recipes to pickle about a dozen different vegetables, including red onions, which I made today.
I got a tami, which was suggested by three different chef courses. I already used it right on Christmas to sift my potatoes through. They were the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made, and one of the best I’ve ever tasted. It completely changed potatoes for me. The Mircoplane helped with the constant zesting Gordon Ramsay suggests, a vast improvement on what I was working with before.
Armed with new tools, a new All Access Pass, and more classes coming out all the time, I can’t wait to see where this year takes me on my cooking journey!
Mastering Cooking With MasterClass 