# Anyone like liver & onions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242 "2010-01-16T22:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9a140/32.png) [@foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolscap)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/61 "2010-01-18T00:11:46Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > When I was a kid, you could buy baby beef liver, which was even more mild than calf’s liver. > > What does pig’s liver taste like? I’ve never seen it in the supermarket. Pork has too sharp a flavor for me, I prefer beef liver with my onions. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9a140/32.png) [@foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolscap)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/62 "2010-01-18T00:20:43Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > (Hannibal Lector) I like liver with fava beans and a nice Chianti(/Hannibal Lector) This is not how I want a guest for dinner:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/63 "2010-01-18T07:21:07Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Aren’t calves and baby beefs the same thing? > > When I was a kid in England my mother would always use lamb’s liver and I remember her telling me beef liver is not so good, but beef is usually all that is available in the U.S.A. and I have found it quite acceptable. I think I have had pig’s liver at some time in my life; I do not recall it being all that different. Well, I always believed that baby beef liver is from younger animals than calves liver, but an internet search says it’s the other way around. What is lamb’s liver like? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at the store. I love chicken liver, but I’ve never been able to cook it without it turning to mush. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/64 "2010-01-18T18:51:32Z")
Fuck yes. My mother soaks it in milk while she fries bacon and onions. Then she pats the liver dry, dredges it in seasoned flour, fries it gently, then sets it all aside while she makes thick, deep brown gravy (all this in the one pan). She serves it with mashed potatoes and peas. My favourite Italian restaurant does a fabulous liver and bacon too, but it’s not like my mother’s. Which I now want for my tea. Must check my diary for the next time I can get up North to see her… it’s just not the same when I make it! ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/65 "2010-01-18T18:58:48Z")
> [@Teacake](#): > > Fuck yes. My mother soaks it in milk while she fries bacon and onions. Then she pats the liver dry, dredges it in seasoned flour, fries it gently, then sets it all aside while she makes thick, deep brown gravy (all this in the one pan). She serves it with mashed potatoes and peas. > > My favourite Italian restaurant does a fabulous liver and bacon too, but it’s not like my mother’s. Which I now want for my tea. Must check my diary for the next time I can get up North to see her… it’s just not the same when I make it! I love liver and onions and Teacake’s mother’s recipe sounds about perfect to me. Not sure if I prefer any particular type of liver, we tend to buy whatever is available. ---
**Author:** ![Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/das_glasperlenspiel/32/2944_2.png) [@Das\_Glasperlenspiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Das_Glasperlenspiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/66 "2010-01-18T19:13:08Z")
No. Uh-uh. No way. Not ever. As a child, I was hospitalized for four weeks with blood- and iron-related issues. The doctor-recommended diet involved liver in one form or another every day. No dessert unless I ate the liver. There is not enough ketchup in the world to disguise the taste of liver. We all know what hospital food is like today; it was that much worse in the fifties. I went without dessert for a month. Won’t touch liver - no time, no how, no way. OTOH, Himself loves the dish and will order it if it is on the menu at our local. He is allowed to cook it for himself provided he is home alone, I will not be home for at least 24 hours and he airs out the house before I return home. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/67 "2010-01-18T19:35:06Z")
There is pig’s liver in boudin - Cajun rice and liver sausage. I love calves’ liver and chicken livers. I never make calves’ liver at home because my Dad doesn’t like it, though my husband does. We all like chicken livers and I make them about once a month. Not with onions and bacon, though - I coat them in flour and fry them in butter and olive oil. Yum! I get my fix for calves’ liver about twice a year at a cafeteria called Luby’s down here in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/68 "2010-01-18T20:13:18Z")
I love beef liver (though you have to cook it properly), with a side of lima beans. Probably my favorite home-cooked meal. There’s also chopped chicken liver on crackers. Delicious. It even makes matzo taste tolerable. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/69 "2010-01-19T04:11:18Z")
I’m a vegetarian, so no liver for me, but for some reason, I like the smell of it cooking. My mother loves it so she makes it about once a month. A restaurant we frequent has it on the menu and she would order it but she says that the portion is too small. 🙂 > [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > One thing I’ve noticed these days: if the meat has any real flavor other than beef, younger people don’t like it. Lamb is very out of favor these days, ham is barely hanging on, and things like liver, sausage, lunchmeats, etc. are really disfavored. Chicken, one of the most bland meats known to man, is king. It’s really sad. Ask any chef, they’ll tell you that fat = flavor, and that’s a lot of what’s at play. The favored meats of today are the leanest meats which means the ones with the lowest flavor profiles. It’s a side effect of the war on fat. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/70 "2010-01-19T07:35:58Z")
I love a well-prepared beef liver with onions. Unfortunately, Mom never learned how to make it properly, so it wasn’t until adulthood that I learned to love it. Hmmm. I need to get some so I can cook it up with onions in bacon drippings… ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/71 "2010-01-19T15:27:27Z")
I love liver, but my family won’t even consider trying it, so I only get it if I’m in a restaurant that has it (practically never). I don’t much like the looks of it raw anyway. As a child, I knew that “everyone” hated liver, so I pretty much made up my mind to like it before I ever tried it. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/72 "2010-01-19T15:57:17Z")
Love it. And have been craving it lately, it’s been a while. I’m not a big fan of how it makes my apartment smell when I’m frying it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/73 "2010-01-20T06:09:46Z")
I replied upthread that I love it, but can anyone tell me how to make it perfectly? ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/74 "2010-01-20T06:35:44Z")
Fan of calf’s liver and onion, if well prepared. Grew up eating it once a month or so. Pork liver: only encounter it in French pates and terrines (commonly there). Chicken liver: deep fried, for pates, and as constituent in Bolognese sauce or even (in trace amounts) meatballs and meatloaf (am I crazy?). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/75 "2010-01-20T06:55:32Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I replied upthread that I love it, but can anyone tell me how to make it perfectly? Soak it for about an hour in milk. (This is not absolutely necessary, but it gets rid of some of the stronger bitter flavors if you don’t like them.) Dredge with flour. (Also, not absolutely necessary, but usual.) Sautee over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side for a 1/2 inch thick piece of liver. That’s it. The only secret is don’t overcook the damned thing. It should still be pink in the center. Salt and pepper to taste. edit: Oh, if you’re doing liver and onions, do as above, just fry up some onions with butter or bacon either before, after, or alongside the liver. I do my onions before, then the liver. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/76 "2010-01-20T07:16:36Z")
I had L&O for lunch yesterday at a local restaurant. It was perfect. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/77 "2010-01-20T07:44:03Z")
Occasionally, I make a huge batch of dog biscuits out of liver, flour & eggs, all blended together in the food processor and baked until hard as rocks. My dog doesn’t like regular biscuits, so this is a huge treat for him. It absolutely reeks when it’s baking, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/78 "2010-01-20T15:24:43Z")
Beef liver is fantastic: I just don’t like onions. As a treat every Wednesday when I was growing up, grandma and I would head to Lee’s famous Recipe and split a pint of chicken livers. Scrumptious. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242/79 "2010-01-28T18:34:26Z")
With a rasher or two of grilled smoked bacon - delicious! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-like-liver-onions/525242.md?page=3)