Warning: I thought letting my sourdough starter go for a month in the fridge was fine. It wasn't.

I was super skeptical about people saying you need to feed it weekly, even cold. I left mine for almost 5 weeks, thinking it would just be sleepy. When I took it out, it had a thin layer of dark liquid on top and smelled like nail polish remover, not sour. I tried to revive it with three daily feeds of equal parts flour and water, but it never got its bounce back. The gluten structure was just gone. Had to toss it and start over from a friend's backup. Has anyone else killed a starter by neglecting it in the cold for too long? How long is your max?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella12128d ago

But @smith.elliot, what's your fridge temp set at?

dianam1929d ago

That's wild, my starter has gone two months in the fridge without a feed and bounced back fine. The hooch on top is normal, you just stir it in. The nail polish smell means it's really hungry, but a few feeds usually fixes it. Maybe the type of flour or your fridge temp makes a difference. I'd try a longer revival next time before tossing it.

smith.elliot29d ago

Okay, "the hooch on top is normal, you just stir it in." I'm sure that's true, but when MY starter looks like a failed science project and smells like a salon, I'm not stirring, I'm running. Five weeks in the fridge turns it from a pet into a biohazard. My max is three weeks, tops, or I start getting nervous.