Feuer wrote

Most recipes are written for a standard starter. A very few are
written for a starter containing milk or potatoes. Generally a
standard starter is the most reliable. Additional ingredients such
as sugar are unnecessary and may even lead to dangerous contamination.

I used this recipe. Before I saw the this newsgroup I looked at
recipes and just picked one. I will from now on not use sugar. The
recipe I got is here :schttp://breadnet.net/ratch.html

As potatoes are not normally a recommended medium....I have no
objections to starting over using either rye or wheat flour. and
following a starter recipe you all think is the tops. I plan on making
mostly white bread and the occasional rye . And of course the usual
pancakes and cakes etc.
Generally, if you use a high-hydration
(liquid) starter you must refrigerate it and feed it at least once
a week [will someone who has a lot of experience with these please
correct my figure?].

Is one better than the other?

Mine is a 1:1 hydration and is quite liquid and frothy . I thought it
was supposed to beleft out and fed for about a week before being
placed in the Fridge.
If you use a low-hydration (solid/dough-like) starter you may keep it
at room temperature if you feed it 2x per day.

Does a low hydration starter begin as a high hydration and become more
solid with each feeding or is it quite solid from the start?

I would like to get this as right as possible and I am not adverse to
starting over should I go wrong. I am in no hurry to make bread and
can wait if that means getting a smashing loaf or few of great bread.

I am slowly weeding my way through the FAQ's...so if I ask anything
very obviously in the FAQ's let me know and I will go there and find
it.


Thanks David for answering my questions.

Cheers

Julie