Containers for refrigerating starters

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Jefftow on 1 Mar 2016 at 04:13

Hi 

I'm new to sourdough, I get the main points, but when refrigerating my starter what should I store it in

kilner jars or would build up of pressure be to much

or jar covered in cingfilm

what size container to allow for growth 

also if I refrigerate and go on holiday for 2 weeks will it revive on my return.

great site BTW

THANK YOU

 

work very well for me. I have 3 of them.

And a 2-week holiday has never been an issue (not that I've had many, but ...)

-Gordon

and I keep 500-600g in them (350g in the Rye as it tries to escape when I put more in)

-Gordon

I seriously doubt that the amount pressure that can develop inside a sealed canning jar, whether at room temperature or especially in a fridge (where gas production slows and gas pressures are less) can make this happen.  If you've experience with this happening, I want to communicate with you about the event.  

I have kept my starters in plastic and glass containers with better and worse seals for almost two decades and have come to prefer clear glass just because it allows me to see what's happening inside.

As for how long you can allow your starter to sit without refreshing it, some readers may remember a post of mine some long while ago in which I described my brother's experience of forgetting the sealed glass jar of refreshed starter I gave him which he'd placed in his fridge initially, only to discover it way at the back of a shelf months later.  On my suggestion, he refreshed it in the usual way.  It came back to life from the grey liquid slop it had become.

As for the size of the container, I keep about a cup of active starter in a 1.5-2 cup jar in the fridge.

 

 

I use weck jars without the gasket or clips. gas can escape. I use the straight sided "mold" ones, easy to clean and mix in.

Peanut butter jars make excellent containers for starter, when they get too dirty you can just toss them.  If you want a larger container, the quart soup containers from Chinese take out stores also make good containers and have the same price - free.

 

Charles

I usually use clean peanut butter or pickle jars.  Put some electrical (or other something to mark the level) tape on them and put them in the fridge.  I'm embarrassed how long some are in there before I take them out to refresh.

I like the straight sides of these since it makes it easy to judge how much they've expanded.

My starters are 4 or 5 years old now.  I'm older though.

Tom C