My sourdough starter died after I left it in the fridge for 3 weeks on vacation

I went to visit my sister in Portland for 3 weeks and thought my starter would be fine just sitting in the fridge (big mistake, I know). Came back to a thick layer of weird gray liquid on top and a smell like old nail polish remover, so I had to toss the whole thing. Has anyone else killed a starter this way, or do you have a trick for keeping them alive when you're gone for a while?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_dixon1mo ago

Yeah @ben_shah93 that's hooch not death, just stir it back in and feed it.

fiona_lewis3726d ago

and honestly it's pretty scary when you open that jar and see that gray layer on top... I've had starters I thought were totally gone before. stirring it back in and doing a few good feeds has saved more than one of my starters in the past. it's good to see someone else understands the panic though.

ben_shah931mo ago

Did you check if it was actually dead or just dormant? Sometimes that gray liquid is just hooch and you can pour it off and feed the starter a few times to bring it back. I've revived starters after a month in the fridge by scraping off the bad stuff and doing a couple strong feeds.