"Bob Myers" > wrote:
> Well, of course you CAN, with the downside being that in short
> order, you're going to wind up with the Starter That Ate Philadelphia...
>
> Keeping it in the fridge does at least two things for you - it slows
> down the action of the bacteria such that it doesn't go hog-wild
> and consume everything too quickly (you're aiming for a usable
> starter, not a giant mass of bacteria), and it also tends to inhibit
> the addition and growth of other beasties that otherwise might
> get into the mix (wild yeasts and such).

What I was thinking is if you don't divide it and only reuse a small
portion, the beasties will take over at room temperature. I'm sure if you
only reuse a small portion and feed that every day, you can keep it at room
temperature indefinitely. But that's a tremendous waste, unless one has a
use for the tossed portion.

By the way, it doesn't take anywhere near as big to eat Philadelphia
anymore... it's a much smaller city than it used to be.

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