I woke up this morning with the great news that Chefsteps is back!!! I was very excited to read about the new content and the new membership. Then I spent sometime reading the forum comments in here, on Facebook and Instagram. I feel like someone needs to say this: I am so tired of all of you complaining and feeling entitled to get more free content from Chefsteps. Feel free to disagree with me or keep reading to get my point.
I joined chefsteps in 2015 and paid $19 for a lifetime membership. That was about the same time I was starting my personal chef business. The classes and recipes that I got access to were an incredible push for me becoming a better home chef, I learned so many techniques that I continue to use today to impress my clients. Then came Joule, I was super excited to get my hands on this new technology to practice everything I had been learning already with chefsteps. I purchased my Joule for $180, yes it was a discounted offer to pre-order. I had to wait months for the final product to be made, tested, and even got backed up because there was such a big demand. I waited patiently, because at that point I had definitely already gotten my $19 worth in content and I believed in this company and what they had to offer. Joule did not disappoint!!! I have loved Joule from the first use until now.
Thanks to Chefsteps I've learned about molecular gastronomy, how to use a syphon, how to use the microwave in ways I didn't imagine, how to plate the same dish in different ways. I have gotten all the tools I need to make foams, purees, creams, dust, you name it. As someone like me, with a full time day job, passionate about cooking, trying to start a personal chef business, but unable to attend (or afford) culinary school; Chefsteps has been a great resource and for that I am so thankful.
Chefsteps however has not been the only resource I have used to learn. Because of my limited free time I opt for online learning. When Master Class launched their first cooking class with Gordon Ramsay I signed up for lifetime access to the class for $90. The class had 20 lessons and they were not all recipes. What I learned and the community I met was well worth my money. The following year Master Class created an All Access pass for $180 that allowed you to take any classes you want all year long, but you don't get to keep them if you don't renew your All Access every year. I am only interested in cooking so when they announce the new classes with chefs like Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, I figured that the All Access pass was a good investment. I have now been an All Access member of Master class for almost 3 years, I have been able to take online classes with some of the best chefs in the world for $180 a year. To me, that's invaluable.
Another source that I used to learn specific cuisines is Miriadax, an online university in Spanish. I was able to take a Sous Vide Class with the chefs from El Celler de Can Roca - for the modest amount of $48 Euros, and once the class was over, I had no more access. No offense at all to one of the best restaurants in the world, but they guys at Chefsteps are way more fun and had already given me access to most of that content for $19 lifetime access.
My point in writing about this is - Chefsteps has given so much compared to what I paid for my Premium subscription. Even if I would've paid $39 I still would've found it very inexpensive compare with all my other online courses experience.
People that feel entitled to have free content should just be using You Tube and be fed with ads, because just so you know, the time you HAVE to spend watching those ads is what you are paying for that content. Also watch a 15 minute video to get 4 minutes of valuable content.
What we get with Chefsteps is very unique and you should all be thankful and grateful that they were able to figure out their financial issues and come back with more and make it available for all of us who believe in them and support them.
Chefsteps, THANK YOU!!! I missed you! You guys are seriously the best and I have nothing but love and support for your team, since 2015 
