Yeast starters are easy to make when you use Erlenmeyer flasks and dried malt extract (DME). Simply put 300 ml of warm water into a 500 ml flask, dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of DME (or double these amounts for a 1000 ml flask) and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient by swirling the flask. Put the flask directly on the stove and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Cover the flask mouth with aluminum foil and cool by immersing in a sink of ice water. When cool (70-80 degrees F) sanitize a corner of the Wyeast packet (100 proof vodka works great) and cut the corner off the packet with a clean and sanitized scissors. Pour the packet's contents into the flask, recover with the foil and shake/swirl to aerate. Now sanitize the mouth of the flask with vodka and install a sanitized rubber stopper and airlock. Leave in a warm place for few days and you've made a starter! Optionally, build the 300 ml up by using 1/2 cup of DME and 1/2 tsp of yeast nutrient with 1000 ml of water in a 2000 ml flask. Sanitize both flask mouths with vodka, pour the 300 ml of starter into the 2000 ml flask, resanitize the flask mouth and install a stopper and airlock. This will give you the optimal pitching rate for a five gallon batch.