On Mon, 13 Jan 1997 08:31:00 -0800, "ROWAN, TODD (PETCARE)"
<rowant@petcare.nestleusa.nesusa.com> asked:
> Can anyone suggest a method to keep sourdough starter warm (i.e.,
> 70 - 85 degrees) in a house that remains in the low 60's for the
> winter? I would like to "reactivate" my dried starter, but don't
> have a place in the house that reaches the appropriate
> temperature range. I don't have a pilot light in the oven, so I
> can't place it in there. And I can't put in on top of my water
> heater...it's outside.
>
> Any advice?
A few years back a friend of mine had a similar problem (except
that he was trying to make tofu). His solution was to purchase a
cheap (~$1) styrofoam cooler and wire up a socket to hold an
ordinary light bulb. The light bulb burning inside the cooler
created just the right amount of heat for his purposes, i.e.,
keeping his tofu the right temperature. Of course you need to be
electrically literate for this little project (or know someone who
is).
With a tiny bit more cash, knowledge, and ambition you could
enhance the above warming box with an ordinary home thermostat and
the kind of transformer that ordinarily drives it. In the hands of
the right person it would be fairly easy to use the thermostat to
turn the light bulb on and off in order to get just the right
temperature. If this seems like more hassle than a
Ph.D. dissertation, find some old guy who saves everything. Every
neighborhood has one. Generally, old codgers like that know the
true worth of what mere mortals call garbage because they turn
garbage into whatever you happen to need-- a sourdough warmer, for
instance. Be sure to bake the guy some real nice fresh bread.
But wait.... For a lower-tech possible solution get one of those
1950s thermostatically-controlled electric skillets (normal garage
sale fare) and use it for a double boiler.
BTW & OTOH, did you check the temperature above the refrig.?
... near the furnace?
Best regards,
Ken
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Ken Fisler
bc151@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu
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