I want to retry liver, need suggestions

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I've always loved liver. One of my favorite preparations ever in a restaurant was chicken livers, sauteed, over a mixed greens salad (with quite a bit of frisee) and a balsamic-based dressing. It was in a little French bistro in, of all places, Winter Park, Florida (an old part of Orlando). That little place was also the first place I tasted confit. I've tried to reproduce the meal often at home, and it is good, but not as good as it was then!
 
This may sound like a stupid question, but what kind of flavor and texture does a chicken liver have? Not when put into a pate, but sauteed or something...I'm really curious!
 
This may sound like a stupid question, but what kind of flavor and texture does a chicken liver have? Not when put into a pate, but sauteed or something...I'm really curious!

When it’s fried, it’s chewy and tastes like dirt......filthy dirt flavored with powdered blood. LOL! :LOL::ROFLMAO:

I’ve only eaten them fried, and chicken livers are an acquired taste. They can be a little chewy similar in texture to overcooked escargot or fried alligator tail. They have a “dark” flavor as most iron rich organ meats do. Imagine going into a dark musty cellar where mushroom are growing....convert that smell to a taste, and that’s kind of like what chicken livers taste like.

For some people, that taste is great, but for others, no go. And there is the in between crowd that likes chicken livers, but drowns them in a strong sauce so that the livers aren’t as powerful on the palette.
 
When it’s fried, it’s chewy and tastes like dirt......filthy dirt flavored with powdered blood. LOL! :LOL::ROFLMAO:

I’ve only eaten them fried, and chicken livers are an acquired taste. They can be a little chewy similar in texture to overcooked escargot or fried alligator tail. They have a “dark” flavor as most iron rich organ meats do. Imagine going into a dark musty cellar where mushroom are growing....convert that smell to a taste, and that’s kind of like what chicken livers taste like.

For some people, that taste is great, but for others, no go. And there is the in between crowd that likes chicken livers, but drowns them in a strong sauce so that the livers aren’t as powerful on the palette.

Interesting, keltin. I don't find chicken livers this way at all.

I have a way of preparing chicken livers that is, to me and my family, very tasty.

I dredge them in flour, some salt and freshly ground black pepper, then brown them in a combo of butter/olive oil. Once browned, I add some rich chicken broth, white wine, touch of minced garlic, and tarragon and simmer until the "sauce" thickens slightly and the livers are cooked through. Test by piercing with a knife point to be sure juices run clear. There's usually enough flour on the livers to cause the sauce to thicken.

I serve this over rice or noodles. My family prefers rice.
 
Interesting, keltin. I don't find chicken livers this way at all.

I have a way of preparing chicken livers that is, to me and my family, very tasty.

I dredge them in flour, some salt and freshly ground black pepper, then brown them in a combo of butter/olive oil. Once browned, I add some rich chicken broth, white wine, touch of minced garlic, and tarragon and simmer until the "sauce" thickens slightly and the livers are cooked through. Test by piercing with a knife point to be sure juices run clear. There's usually enough flour on the livers to cause the sauce to thicken.

I serve this over rice or noodles. My family prefers rice.

Wow, that sounds good! I’ve only had them fried as “nuggets” of sorts. Just battered, dropped in oil, drained, and you eat them. They are a little chewy and have the “dark” liver taste.

But I imagine your recipe would be different. I’ve recently started doing cube steaks by batter frying them first, then cover in Cream of Mushroom soup and bake for about an hour. The texture is completely different than a standard pan fried and served cube steak, and the flavor is great. I’ll have to try you liver recipe since DW LOVES chicken livers. Thanks!
 
:neutral:
Pate is the only form of liver I can tolerate. If I were to try liver I think it would be chicken livers and hide them under lots of bacon. Good luck with expanding your culinary tastes.
:neutral:I hate liver but I like a good Pate or liverwurst.Straight up liver is so not good to me.There is a taste in it that I can not stand.
 
If your liver is "chewy", boy did someone screw up. Liver takes only a very few minutes to cook, if it is chewy you've cooked it way, way, way too long. The texture should be very smooth, almost velvet-y. But even so, if you do not like liver, you simply don't like it, period, enough said. I have a freind who claims to hate liver, but he loves it in almost everything. Dumplings, pate, spreads, etc. When Thanksgiving comes around, I put the heart and gizzard into the gravy, but save the liver as a treat for ..... the cook, me.
 
If your liver is "chewy", boy did someone screw up. Liver takes only a very few minutes to cook, if it is chewy you've cooked it way, way, way too long. The texture should be very smooth, almost velvet-y. But even so, if you do not like liver, you simply don't like it, period, enough said. I have a freind who claims to hate liver, but he loves it in almost everything. Dumplings, pate, spreads, etc. When Thanksgiving comes around, I put the heart and gizzard into the gravy, but save the liver as a treat for ..... the cook, me.

Me too! I also save the "orysters" for em and whoever is helping me cook. I boild the livers, gizzrds, heart and neck to make a great broth that I then use in the stuffing and to add to the drippings for gravy. I chop up everything bu the livers, which I lightly salt and consume on the spot, as I'm the only one around here that likes them.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Calves liver and baby beef liver (I'm not sure what the difference is) are both really good cooked right. I agree that it should not be overcooked. I saute it in canola oil, just a couple of tablespoonsful, only til if firms up a bit. In another skillet I saute onions in a pat of butter for just a bit (they will still be crunchy, but cooked), and serve them over the liver. Any other kind of liver has a grainy texture and I can't eat that.
 
Liver is like beets. Most people grew up eating the wrong kind (i.e. canned beets or frozen liver) so those foods developed bad reputations. Like others have said, get a high quality product and you'll be able to taste the difference.
 
If your liver is "chewy", boy did someone screw up. Liver takes only a very few minutes to cook, if it is chewy you've cooked it way, way, way too long. The texture should be very smooth, almost velvet-y. But even so, if you do not like liver, you simply don't like it, period, enough said. I have a freind who claims to hate liver, but he loves it in almost everything. Dumplings, pate, spreads, etc. When Thanksgiving comes around, I put the heart and gizzard into the gravy, but save the liver as a treat for ..... the cook, me.

Tell that to KFC! :LOL:
 
Try making liver like swiss steak,, sear it and put in a roasting pan with a couple of onions and cover wirh brown gravy and cook for a couple hours coverd your liver will be tender and will not have the taste associated with liver but it will be succulent and tender. a old short order cook taught me this years ago make sure you gravy is thin becauce it will tighten up while cooking Mazel tov
 
Yes. for discovering liver, auntdot is spot on. Go with cow liver especiallly with calf's liver.
evn though a lot of us really likes chicken liver, for you its best to start with calfs liver. Chicken livers can give you a distinct flavor of, well, liver and you might get shocked with the accompanying mouthfeel: pasty and smooth. It takes a little bit to get used to. But its just a little bit.
 
I dont have specific recipes because I generally play it by ear when I make them but I use chicken liver for breading then frying (I usually also make chicken gizzards to go with the livers) and calf liver for sauteing with onions.

I grew up eating lots of both and love them! :)
 
We used to have liver at least once a month, but with elevated cholesterol, that was the first thing the doctor said not to eat, but occasionally. I could probably eat it once a week if there wasn't a problem. I never liked chicken livers - the texture is too grainy for me.
 
Back
Top Bottom