Just curious, I saw a few videos and some used DME while others used Corn Sugar and an additive. Would it be OK to use part of the DME that comes in a kit to make the starter considering I could just pour the whole thing back into the primary? Would this mean my OG might be slightly off but the FG should still be OK? Or is it not recommended and I should just look at an actual Yeast Starter? Going to brew my Chocolate Milk Stout next and read that darker/heavy beers benefit from a starter so I can place an order in the next few weeks.
You can use some of the DME from your kit. Using some of the DME will reduce your OG. DME adds 44 Points Per Gallon to the SG. You can calculate how much your OG will be reduced according to how much of the DME you use. Not a bad idea to keep a pound or two of extra light DME on hand just for starters.
Never add pure sugar to a starter. The yeast will not be in the best shape to utilize the more complex sugars of the wort after a diet of plain sugars.
Here is a good calculator to use to determine the size of the starter you will need.
Thanks for the info. Need some bags for dry hopping so will probably order some extra DME.
So I picked up some DME, I guess I have two more questions. 1st should I always use a starter, or just on darker beers like the Milk Chocolate that I plan to brew next? 2nd I read most instructions are for liquid yeast packs, for dry do I need to rehydrate first, or can it be pitched dry into the wort starter?
I have read some people say to just rehydrate dry yeast and don’t bother with a starter. I am new as well, so bear with me 
I read that ideally your starter would be made with a liquid smack pack. If you’re using dry yeast, either pitch right in (probably two packs if it’s going to be a high gravity wort), or rehydrate and pitch that in.
You don’t always need to use a starter, but generally I have heard that it is considered best practice.
Don’t use a starter for dry yeast, just rehydrate it. You can pitch it dry, but yeast viability will suffer some. For liquid yeast, a starter is best, but if the yeast is fresh it’ll work ok for lower gravity beers just pitched direct.
Thanks everyone, now the question comes to harvested yeast. Should you use a starter for it? I would assume yes considering it’s similar to using liquid yeast.
Whether or not you make a starter with harvested yeast depends on the OG of the beer, how old the yeast is when you are getting ready to brew your next beer, and how much yeast you have.
Some calculators to help you out.
You can make a starter with dry yeast. Once the yeast is properly rehydrated you have liquid yeast. You use the same procedure to make the starter as you would with yeast which began as a liquid, either purchased or harvested.
