> You might want to try it. *Both the smell and taste of a starter are
> good indications of the condition of the starter. *Over a period of time
> you'll be able to add the information from smell and taste to the visual
> cues you are currently using to gauge the health and vitality of your
> starters.
>
> In some classes I teach, some students are reluctant to taste the
> starters, but c'mon - it's just flour, water, yeast and harmless
> bacteria.
>
> Mike

Hmmm, maybe when the memories of how it smelled in its early stages
are not so fresh... still can't stomach the thought of rotten peas.
I'm sure the bacteria and fungi that were producing such odiferous
aromas at first are long since gone, but I think I will still wait a
while.

I do use smell when checking my starters - yeasty when first fed, good
and sour and lively after about 12 hours, fermented and strong when
slack after 24 hours or so and really needing fed again.

Texture is also a good guide, as in how well it sticks to the mixing
spoon and how "stringy" it is when pulled out of the jar. Good
stringyness (very technical terms here) seems to indicate a healthy
starter, while strings that break apart quickly seem to indicate that
it needs fed. My guess on this one is that the gluten in the flour is
in the later stages of being broken down, and that the critters are
getting low on what they like to eat.

All of this is based on personal observation, and trial and error in
my own baking/starter feeding endeavors...

Perhaps one day, when I'm brave, I'll give it a taste and see what
it's like.... but for now I think I will stick to checking the bread.

Viince wrote:
>Very true! I taste my starter very often, I like it, plus I'm sure
>it's good for digestion!

You might be right on that one - never really thought about that
before...


Stacey