21
Rant: my sourdough starter died because of a cheap thermometer
Last Tuesday I checked my starter with one of those $6 fridge thermometers and it read 72 degrees, so I left it overnight. Next morning it read 84 and smelled like nail polish remover, totally fermented out. I guess the thermometer was off by 10 degrees the whole time. Anyone else had a tool mess up their batch like this, and what do you use to track temps now?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
jakejones1mo ago
Man, that sucks! I had almost the exact same thing happen with a cheap probe thermometer last winter. It said my proofing box was at 78 degrees the whole time, but it was actually running like 86 or 87. My dough was overproofed and turned into this sticky, sour mess that baked flat as a pancake. I was so mad I threw the thermometer in the trash right then and there. Now I just use a good instant read thermometer and check it a couple times during the rise, plus I trust my finger to feel the temp of the jar. It's worth spending a little extra money on something that's actually accurate, honestly.
7
Honestly, I think the cheap thermometer did its job, it just showed you what a fast ferment looks like when your kitchen runs warm. Most starters can handle a night at 84 degrees, they just get tangy and need a feed, they don't die from one hot spell. Maybe the real problem was expecting a starter to stay perfect overnight without checking it again, not the $6 tool.
-2