Hello!
I've neglected my poor sourdough starter in the refrigerator for far too long...I'm ashamed to admit that it could have been left as long as 3 months. When I took it out to refresh yesterday it had gray hooch on the top and smelled like nail polish remover. I mixed everything in and proceeded to refresh by taking out 20 grams and adding 40 grams water and 40 grams flour.
Is my starter safe to use? Or should I throw it all out and start again?
Thank you,
Mira
Thank you. It IS looking and smelling better today:) I was fearful of poisoning with my next loaf! I AM relieved I don't have to throw it out; I had struggled when I first made it 2 summers ago.
I wouldn't use it until the smell has become more pleasant, but your starter should be fine. Just leave it on the counter and feed it like you normally do. After 3 months, it will take a few days of feeding to be back to normal. Try to feed it just after it begins to fall. This will help get the smell back to normal.
I find that if I wash the kept starter amount with a little water and then keeping 25 grams of the washed solids, it becomes active within a couple feedings and has lost the acetone smell. I also dump the hooch but I don't think it matters in the end.
Eric
It just has ketosis, like a person who is burning fats instead of sugars during a diet. As mentioned above, feed it and all will be well. *smile*
...even without leaving the starter in the fridge for a really long time.
Once I started weighing my ingredients, the problem (diagnosed here as 'under-feeding') disappeared totally. Now I tend to get mold on the upper edges of the jar and sometimes, on the surface of the starter, if I neglect it for a few weeks in the fridge. It always recovers, though after 2-3 feedings. You'll be fine, but use weights for the feeding, if you're not doing so already!
Best,
Adam