I have a starter that I've ignored. It is as thick as pate. No funky smell or color. I just removed a cup and fed it with a cup of AP flour and 8 oz. of room temp. bottled water. I have put it in my oven with the light on because my kitchen is in the low 70s today. I have covered it with a linen towel. Does it sound like I am on the right track or am I harming my efforts by covering it and putting it in a closed area? I don't want to exclude any of those nice yeasts that are floating around the kitchen. I also have seen verying advice on how much you take out of the starter before feeding...1 cup or all but 4oz. Even ratio of flour/ water feeding to two to one flour/ water ratio. Why does this have to be so confusing? Hi Ellen - I'd take it out of the oven, leave it covered with a towel, and leave at room temperature - that's plenty warm enough. As for the confusion - I think it comes from recipes being passed down, and down, and down... people start doing things a certain way just because that's the way Grandma did it. For years, my family followed a recipe called Agnes' Shot Cake - till I finally asked Aunt Agnes why it was "shot" cake. She looked at the recipe and said, "Oh, SHEET cake, someone couldn't read my handwriting!" :) Some people did sourdough one way, some another. It's as much art as science. Pick what you like to do, what works, and stick with it. I like my method; if it works for you, go for it! - PJH

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