Using information gleaned on this site, I attempted to dry some starter for
storage.

Following instructions I spread a fairly thick layer of very active starter
onto tinfoil.

It took about four days to harden into a crust, and at some point it
devloped that blue-cheese odor that you often find in starters.

What does this tell me?

Ray wrote:
> Using information gleaned on this site, I attempted to dry some starter
> for storage.
>
> Following instructions I spread a fairly thick layer of very active
> starter onto tinfoil.
>
> It took about four days to harden into a crust, and at some point it
> devloped that blue-cheese odor that you often find in starters.
>
> What does this tell me?

You don't say which instructions - not all are as good as others.

How thick is "fairly thick"?

What blue- cheese odor and approximately when?

The better instruction set is found he

http://www.nyx.net/~dgreenw/canifree...mystarter.html

Regards,

Charles

"chefcdp" > wrote in message
m...
> Ray wrote:
>> Using information gleaned on this site, I attempted to dry some starter
>> for storage.
>>
>> Following instructions I spread a fairly thick layer of very active
>> starter onto tinfoil.
>>
>> It took about four days to harden into a crust, and at some point it
>> devloped that blue-cheese odor that you often find in starters.

Try spreading a thin layer of starter on waxed paper. It dries faster and
peels off easier than it will off tin foil. Mine's never had a smell.
Lobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delete the obvious to reply to me personally.
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I've had great luck spreading a VERY thin layer of starter on baking parchment or a silicone baking mat on a cooky sheet. I place the cooky sheet in a cold oven with the door closed to help prevent the starter from picking up undesirable wild yeast organisms. It usually takes a couple of days for the starter to dry up and shrink. When it's completely dry, just pop it in a jar or plastic bag. Pulverizing it in the blender will prevent sharp edges from poking holes in the bag. When ready to rejuvenate the starter, I usually add some warm water left over from cooking potatoes and a couple of tablespoons of flour. Your sourdough starter should get bubbly and start working by the next day. Good luck!