Many people do not like the liver because of its specific taste, smell, rigid structure, and unpleasant color. However, knowing just a few secrets, this healthy product can be made both aromatic and appetizing. It's all about the rules for choosing a liver and how to prepare it.
The greatest nutritional value for the body is beef liver, however, both pork and chicken also contain many useful substances, macronutrients, vitamins. Therefore, when choosing, you need to focus only on your own taste preferences, as well as on the quality of the offal, shelf life and appearance of the frozen piece.
Tips for choosing a delicious liver
Considering the pieces of liver in the store, you should pay attention to the main nuances of the choice. The taste of the future dish, as well as its smell and appearance, will depend on this.
Here are some rules for buyers of healthy offal:
- an unfrozen piece should be elastic, soft to the touch;
- the surface of the liver should shine, and the film should be intact, without cuts and tears;
- if spots are visible on a piece, it cannot be taken - it means that the animal had problems with the gallbladder, and the product will taste bitter after cooking;
- the color of the piece should be uniform, not very light, but not too dark (healthy turkey liver - burgundy, pigs - brownish-red, chicken - light brown, with a reddish tint, beef - maroon);
- the liver should not have a sour smell;
- if areas of an orange color are noticeable on a piece, the liver was defrosted several times and then frozen again, the taste will definitely deteriorate from this.
How to cook the liver properly
Many children and adults do not like the liver, noting that it is very hard, dryish, sometimes bitter or smells bad. The thing is that some housewives simply do not know how to cook it correctly.
You need to follow just a few simple rules for preparing offal:
- before cooking / stewing, it is necessary to remove the entire film from the piece, cut off the veins, pieces of bacon, it is they who are bitter in the finished dish;
- to easily get rid of the film, you need to place the piece in warm water for 5 minutes, even better - scald it with boiling water;
- a simple marinade of 5-6 tablespoons of lemon juice and the same amount of balsamic vinegar, in which the offal should be soaked for 4-5 hours, will help make the liver softer in taste;
- so that the product remains juicy during cooking, you cannot salt it right away - salt draws out moisture, it is better to salt it already at the end, 10 minutes before the end of cooking or stewing;
- a tough liver can be made softer by placing it in a tight bag and beating it off with a kitchen hammer;
- you can achieve a crispy crust when frying by rolling the pieces in potato starch;
- to make the liver less bitter and more tender, it is necessary to soak it in milk for an hour before stewing or frying.
How to improve the taste of offal
Few people like the smell of the finished liver, and the taste of the pieces boiled in water is quite specific. That is why experienced housewives recommend adding aromatic spices, herbs, seasonings to all dishes made from this product.
Here are some more tips:
- pork liver is often bitter, it must be soaked in cold milk for 2-3 hours before cooking, this will relieve both the bitterness and the metallic taste;
- boiling in salted water will make the pieces harder than stewing in cream, sour cream, but it will also get rid of the bitter taste;
- onions, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, fresh herbs and dried herbs will help add a "tasty" aroma to the dish;
- the main thing is not to overcook the pieces, otherwise they will become tough, like the sole of a shoe, batter or sour cream sauce will help to avoid this.
Observing these simple rules, you can cook the liver in different ways, resulting in a hearty, tasty and appetizing-looking dish.
