Yea i usually siphon off the liquid from the starter but if i'm feelin lazy ill just dump the wort right on top. Its easy enough to decant right from the bucket and saves me from having to clean a separate starter vessel.
yea its missing pieces. Its a non fused disconnect there should be a plastic piece that plugs in to complete the circuit. the line side is usually to the right and the load to the left. looks like you have a free 30 amp 240 volt circuit for whatever you want to add in the future.