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Warning: I was killing my sourdough starter by feeding it straight from the fridge

For months my starter would take forever to bubble up after a feed, like a full day. Then my friend in Denver saw me pull it cold and said 'you gotta let it warm up first, man'. I started leaving it out for 2 hours before adding flour and water, and it was active in 4 hours flat. Has anyone else had this 'aha' moment with temperature?
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walker.nora
My starter was a total dud for weeks until I read about using warm water. I started using water around 85 degrees from my kettle instead of straight from the tap. Ngl, it was like night and day, it just woke right up. Honestly, temperature is everything with these things.
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dakota_rodriguez
Hold up, @walker.nora, is it really that deep? My starter lives on the counter with regular tap water and it does just fine. I get that warmth helps, but buying a thermometer and heating water feels like a lot. My friend keeps hers in the oven with the light on and it's always a mess, way too hot. Maybe some starters are just more picky than others, you know?
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