# Let's talk about Liver **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 2, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144 "2026-03-02T18:02:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 2, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/21 "2026-03-02T21:00:05Z")
I like liver well enough, but only once in awhile. Calf’s liver is 100x better than beef liver. When I was young, my mother would get “baby beef liver”. I have no idea if that’s different than calf liver or not. Only one of my regular local supermarkets carries liver. I believe the Mexican grocery store has it, but I can’t swear to it. Walmart has frozen slices of liver: beef liver is $2.82/lb, and calf’s liver is $3.68/lb. I saute it with worcestershire sauce. I used to saute it with onions, but onions bother me nowadays. I’ve tried soaking liver in milk, but I haven’t found any difference in the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/22 "2026-03-02T21:05:05Z")
We carry beef liver in about ten percent of our stores. Those with high “ethnic” clientele. Frozen only, not fresh. We carry chicken liver in most of our stores. Fresh and frozen. Beef liver is the same price as 80% ground beef right now. The nearest grocery store near me where I can find beef liver is a Whole Food Market. My wife will divorce me if I cook liver in the house. Last time I ate liver was a couple of years ago in an old timey diner in New Brunswick, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![GenerationJones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@GenerationJones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GenerationJones)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/23 "2026-03-02T21:06:12Z")
I’d eat liver raw before I’d eat clams or oysters (yes I am a bumpkin). I can’t deal with little silt bags that look like loogies and smell like low tide. I think the liver caution nowadays is because of factory farming. All the hormones, supplements and meds fed to livestock build up in their systems. I’d be less concerned about toxins with animals I raised myself, or wild game. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/24 "2026-03-02T21:15:05Z")
I love bovine filtration units. Have since I was a kid. But I’m not allowed to cook it in the house. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > And that Braunschweiger(sp?) stuff (the Oscar Meyer thing with the yellow paper around each slice). I thought it was Liverwurst. May have been Braunschweiger thought (with ‘Liver Sausage’ underneath.) My dad used to buy the eight-slice, paper-wrapped, plastic containers of Oscar Mayer liverwurst in the ‘70s and at least until the mid-’80s. I loved it. I’d buy it today, but I haven’t seen it for sale in decades. I just get the Braunschweiger from Chef’s Store. I have to slice it myself, but it’s good and also cheap. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/25 "2026-03-02T21:35:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I loved it. I’d buy it today, but I haven’t seen it for sale in decades. I just get the Braunschweiger from Chef’s Store. Down here, every Kroger’s carries the uncut tubes. For a time in the 90’s, they carried packages of both Oscar Mayer Liver Sausage and O/M Braunschwieger, and the ingredients were identical. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/26 "2026-03-02T22:00:01Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Can’t stand beef liver andI detest onions, but batter fried chicken livers are great. I try to avoid fried food, but onions are one of my basic food groups, so I usually eat sauteed chicken livers and onions on Israeli couscous. Simple and perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/27 "2026-03-02T22:19:59Z")
That is interesting. I saw an autopsy once and the pathologist said the same thing about not eating liver anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/28 "2026-03-02T22:24:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Down here, every Kroger’s carries the uncut tubes. I can get Braunschweiger anywhere. But there was just something about those Oscar Mayer eight slice packages. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/29 "2026-03-02T22:39:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > But there was just something about those Oscar Mayer eight slice packages. I agree. I have not seen that in ages. Featured large when growing up though. I miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/30 "2026-03-02T22:54:40Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Featured large when growing up though. Yep. I made them the way dad did: Two slices (one cut in half) with Miracle Whip, French’s Yellow Mustard, and Kraft American Cheese (actual American cheese, and not the ‘cheese food product’), on soft white Wonder bread. Nowadays, I use the slice-it-yourself Braunschweiger, Best Foods mayonnaise, and French’s Yellow Mustard, on Sara Lee Delightful Multi-Grain bread. I also love filtration units extracted from the decedents of tyrannosaurs; deep-fried, of course. Except one time… There was a spleen in one. 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/31 "2026-03-02T23:01:32Z")
We would have liver occasionally when I was growing up. Mom would cook up some bacon and then fry the liver and onions in it. It wasn’t until years later that I found out she usually overcooked it, but I liked it enough that I would fix it myself. I also found out that calf liver is better than beef liver. I also have a recipe for chicken livers with mushrooms and sour cream. As a matter of fact, I made some last week, and have some leftover in the fridge. I serve it over egg noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/32 "2026-03-02T23:03:54Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I serve it over egg noodles. Starting to sound like chipped beef. Barf. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/33 "2026-03-02T23:08:32Z")
When you grew up on a farm with cows as I did, your family would butcher one (or more, if you’re sharing) every year. We had lots of liver growing up, usually overcooked, but sometimes more elegantly with onions and served with mustard. But since I moved out, I’ve never had liver, and I don’t see it in the grocery store butcher’s case very often. A real butcher certainly has it if you need it, but it seems expensive. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/34 "2026-03-02T23:09:47Z")
I used to see beef liver all the time in the regular grocery store. Came in round containers like Cool Whip does. I havent seen it for years. For what it’s worth, lambs liver is better than beef liver. Not as strong tasting. You’d probably have to get it at a specialty butcher shop. And I bet it ain’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/35 "2026-03-02T23:14:42Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > …but it seems expensive. Is there any such thing as “cheap” meat from a cow these days? I remember the good old days of “cheap” cuts. Long gone now. That is a hijack. To stay on topic, is liver “cheap?” (really asking, I have not bought it in a long time.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/36 "2026-03-02T23:20:56Z")
They serve it here at The Final Resting Place about every other week. There are a very few residents who like it. My mother used to make liver and onions, cooking it until it was leather. I won’t have it in the house. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/37 "2026-03-02T23:21:49Z")
Liver was “cheap” when it came free with the cow you just butchered. We recently shared a butchered cow with some friends, each taking a quarter, but the butcher wondered why none of us wanted the liver. He even suggested he could mix it in with the ground beef, but we all declined. I wonder what that would have tasted like. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/38 "2026-03-02T23:23:56Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is there any such thing as “cheap” meat from a cow these days? > > I remember the good old days of “cheap” cuts. Long gone now. > > That is a hijack. To stay on topic, is liver “cheap?” (really asking, I have not bought it in a long time.) What am I, chopped liver? I posted in post #25 that Walmart has frozen slices of liver: beef liver is $2.82/lb, and calf’s liver is $3.68/lb. That’s cheap. There’s no trimming, no waste. ---
**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:** [March 3, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/39 "2026-03-03T00:10:35Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Is there any such thing as “cheap” meat from a cow these days? Depends on what you mean by “cheap.” I found beef cheek (an awesome, beefy cut) for $3.99/lb at Sam’s Club a month ago. Today, I saw the Mexican (particularly Mexico City) cut _suadero_ at my local supermarket for $3.99/lb as well. (It’s used mostly for tacos.) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144/40 "2026-03-03T00:15:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Depends on what you mean by “cheap.” Those are great prices (assuming good cuts and not old). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-liver/1028144.md?page=3)