steve2-in-la
Well-known member
That's why I always mixed and kneaded my sourdough by hand. On the other hand, opinions vary ...
this from a sourdough page:
Q: I touched my starter with metal and had to throw it out!
A: The "sour" part of "sourdough" is probably from the German word "sauer" which means "acidic." Sourdough is acidic. And it can dissolve some metals. However, what happens when sourdough and metals contact each other depend on the metal and the length of exposure. If the metal is a stainless steel, there wil be no problems. I routinely start, maintain and feed my starters in stainless steel bowls. However, I would not store starter in a base metal container, such as copper, brass, aluminum, or just about any metal other than stainless steel. The other part of the matter is the length of exposure. If the contact is short, there is no problem. Stirring the starter with a metal utensil just isn't a problem, even if the spoon is tin. I suspect that this myth started when stainless steel was much rarer than it is today. In short, don't sweat using stainless containers and utensils. And short contact with base metals is still no big deal. As the mythbusters would say, "This myth is SO busted!"
this from a sourdough page:
Q: I touched my starter with metal and had to throw it out!
A: The "sour" part of "sourdough" is probably from the German word "sauer" which means "acidic." Sourdough is acidic. And it can dissolve some metals. However, what happens when sourdough and metals contact each other depend on the metal and the length of exposure. If the metal is a stainless steel, there wil be no problems. I routinely start, maintain and feed my starters in stainless steel bowls. However, I would not store starter in a base metal container, such as copper, brass, aluminum, or just about any metal other than stainless steel. The other part of the matter is the length of exposure. If the contact is short, there is no problem. Stirring the starter with a metal utensil just isn't a problem, even if the spoon is tin. I suspect that this myth started when stainless steel was much rarer than it is today. In short, don't sweat using stainless containers and utensils. And short contact with base metals is still no big deal. As the mythbusters would say, "This myth is SO busted!"