Using a short box to make starter instead of a tall bottle?

[pengyou]

I would like to make sourdough starter and have read several webpages with "how to's". There are several good sites with very detailed instructions, but I have one question. They all use a relatively tall bottle to make the starter. I would like to use a square plastic box - relatively short, but long and wide - to make my starter so that I can put it in a bigger box full of water. The bigger box will have an aquarium heater in it set to 83 degrees. My kitchen/house is usually 65 degrees 16 hours of the day, when I am gone so I want to find a reasonable solution to creating an environment with a stable temperature without having to heat up the whole house. Will this work? or does the culture need to be "stacked tall" to reproduce well? Is plastic ok to use?

 

[rodentraiser]

I wish I could help you, but my attempts at sourdough have all failed.

I think one of the reasons people use a tall container as opposed to a shorter one is that the sourdough starter rises. I've heard people talk about knowing when their starter's risen by looking at the side of the jar, even when it's risen and fallen again. I think maybe if you use a container with lower sides, if your starter rises, it might go over the top.

If no one here can help you, I suggest you go to this bread forum:

Forums | The Fresh Loaf

 

[GotGarlic]

As long as the container has a large enough volume to hold the starter as it grows, it will be fine. Food-grade plastic is fine, too.

Once the starter is underway, many people keep it in the fridge. It will grow more slowly but it will stay alive.

 

[powerplantop]

Last time I made a starter it was in a bowl. Worked fine.

Plan to try again soon, just have to fit it in my schedule.