Hi there, Lynn! We're sorry to hear that you had some trouble with your first starter! Once the starter is established it should be just fine to store it in the fridge without any issues after being in there for a week. We haven't experienced a starter smelling like paste. We'd recommend just sticking with the feeding process and storing the starter in the fridge once it is established and predictable in its behavior. When you take it out it should be fine but if it seems a little sluggish, you can feed the starter with some whole wheat flour to give it a jumps start. We hope this helps! 

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