# Liver! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677 "2007-04-18T20:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/21 "2007-04-19T04:53:03Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] There’s nothing better than liver sauteed in butter. The recipe is simple: Take the liver and dredge it in bread crumbs. Heat a pan and, when hot, add a tablespoon of butter or so. When the butter stops foaming, put the liver in the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes. Flip the liver over (I sometimes put a little butter underneath it at this point), then cook 1-2 minutes. Serve. DO NOT OVERCOOK! The liver should be cooked through with just a touch of juice in it. You might be able to add a minute or two to my timing, but nothing more. Better to undercook (and put it back) than overcook. Delicious! [/QUOTE] This sounds good. So does OneCentStamp’s but I’m lacking several ingredients. I should really make the Ukrainian pate in honour of my grandfather…maybe I’ll make that too (I have a lot of liver for two people). But I don’t understand all this hate for liver. Liver is yummy. ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/22 "2007-04-19T04:53:05Z")
I agree with RealityChuck, but I have one question for the OP: why did you buy beef liver? Have you already eaten it and liked it? If the answer to that is “no”, I’m not too optimistic about your enjoying it. I’d follow RealityChuck’s recipe, the only difference being that I’d soak beef liver in milk for about 10 minutes, dry it, and do the bread crumbs. Bacon, onion, shallots are all good to accompany liver. Timing is important, so don’t overcook. Cook the bacon or onions or whatever in a separate pan, and start a while before the liver, since they take longer to cook. Good luck! My suggestion would have been to start with calf’s liver: a delicate flavour, and sort of a transition to beef liver-- but I guess it’s too late for that. 🙂 ---
**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:** [April 19, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/23 "2007-04-19T04:54:39Z")
[QUOTE=Rysdad] Damned gout! I _like_ liver, too. Mmmm…braunschweiger. ☹ [/QUOTE] [Homer Simpson]ArgleBargleArgleBargle[/Homer Simpson] ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/24 "2007-04-19T06:54:16Z")
I hear Sherry goes well with liver. Maybe some chicken livers, shallots, garlic, and sherry in a tureen. Accompany with mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/25 "2007-04-19T08:43:25Z")
It’s actually rather good done over charcoal - you have to get the charcoal really hot (so it cooks fast without going tough) and you have to be careful to drape it over the bars crosswise so it doesn’t slip through. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/26 "2007-04-19T14:45:10Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] **Liver 'n Leave It** (servings vary) 1 beef liver 1 paper bag _Instructions_: Place liver in paper bag and fold closed. Drive to abandoned field or wooded area. Drop bag containing liver on ground. Flee. The only recipe I know that does it justice. [/QUOTE] Agreed, liver is repellent (now where’s that “pukey” smiley…) why would anyone want to eat a _filter_ is beyond me… ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/27 "2007-04-19T14:53:31Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] I hear Sherry goes well with liver. Maybe some chicken livers, shallots, garlic, and sherry in a tureen. Accompany with mashed potatoes. [/QUOTE] I don’t know about Sherry, but I know my own liver goes well with almost all alcoholic beverages. Mmm… **1cS** ’ liver marinated in vodka… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/28 "2007-04-19T14:54:31Z")
Is it worse than eating muscles or skin? Is it worse than eating _mussels_, for that matter, for whom filtering is their _raison d’être_. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/29 "2007-04-19T17:19:28Z")
[QUOTE=MacTech] Agreed, liver is repellent (now where’s that “pukey” smiley…) why would anyone want to eat a _filter_ is beyond me… [/QUOTE] Likewise, even though (in addition to the aforementioned kimchi) I have no compunction over eating tongue tacos or a bowl of _phở_ loaded with tripe. The stomach only knows what it wants, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/30 "2007-04-19T17:44:39Z")
[QUOTE=MoodIndigo1] I agree with RealityChuck, but I have one question for the OP: why did you buy beef liver? Have you already eaten it and liked it? If the answer to that is “no”, I’m not too optimistic about your enjoying it. [/QUOTE] For the record I love beef liver. Probably not as much as it loves me. (I will sit shiva for the dead cows) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/31 "2007-04-19T18:28:59Z")
I’d casserole it in beef stock having sliced it and floured the slices, along with some onions, bacon and maybe a carrot or three. On the whole I prefer lambs’ liver for frying - beef liver can be a bit robust as to taste. But _de gustibus_ and all that. An old lady was once offered some pressed tongue. “Oh no”, she said, “I couldn’t - not something that came from an animal’s mouth. Can’t I just have an egg?”. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/32 "2007-04-19T18:46:03Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] An old lady was once offered some pressed tongue. “Oh no”, she said, “I couldn’t - not something that came from an animal’s mouth. Can’t I just have an egg?”. [/QUOTE] The trouble with eating tongue is that you never know when you’re done chewing 😃 “Variety meats”–liver, kidneys, and all the rest, are certainly pretty rare in restaurants these days, but I’m proud to say I’d give them a chance if I ever see them on a menu. Actually I have: I tried steak-and-kidney pie at the Olde Kingshead in Santa Monica, and I quite liked it. The only thing I didn’t like was the Goodyear Blimp sized pastry which stands in for the “pie” part. Then on another occasion I ordered their mixed grill which includes a small slab 'o liver. It was certainly all right, though I did prefer the other grilled items. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/33 "2007-04-19T22:54:30Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] The trouble with eating tongue is that you never know when you’re done chewing 😃 “Variety meats”–liver, kidneys, and all the rest, are certainly pretty rare in restaurants these days, but I’m proud to say I’d give them a chance if I ever see them on a menu. Actually I have: I tried steak-and-kidney pie at the Olde Kingshead in Santa Monica, and I quite liked it. The only thing I didn’t like was the Goodyear Blimp sized pastry which stands in for the “pie” part. Then on another occasion I ordered their mixed grill which includes a small slab 'o liver. It was certainly all right, though I did prefer the other grilled items. [/QUOTE] Steak and kidney, properly done, is a dish fit for a king. Why this prejudice against organ meats? Muscle is only a device for turning glucose into lactic acid or, if there’s time for proper respiration, carbon dioxide and water. It’s not like anyone would eat liver or kidney with the noxious fluids still in them. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/34 "2007-04-19T22:58:25Z")
I would slice it into strips, about a 1/4" wide, and lightly dredge in seasoned flour. Cook up some sliced bacon, onions & garlic, add the liver in for a short time, then chuck in some dijon mustard and sour cream. Serve with buttered flat noodles. I would imagine mushrooms would work well in this recipe too, but I tend to cook it without them. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/35 "2007-04-19T23:46:24Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] I have eaten the occasional kimchi, but that is in fact the recipe: bury some cabbage so it rots until demonic life forms are spontaneously generated among the slimy fibers. Then–get this–_put it in your mouth._ [/QUOTE] Well, not quite. Kimchi is pickled cabbage, that is, salted, fermented cabbage. It’s just a bit more, um, fermented than most western pickled vegetables (the comparison with _sauerkraut_ gets tenuous as a result. But the point is that the salt and low temperatures in the fall and winter (which is when it is made) keep the cabbage from rotting. Of course, _garum_ wasn’t “rotting” either, technically. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/36 "2007-04-20T00:02:29Z")
[QUOTE=Ukulele Ike] Liver dumplings in beef soup. There’s a recipe in _The NY Times Cookbook_. … [/QUOTE] The site **pinkfreud** linked also has [Austrian Liver Dumplings](http://www.recipeland.com/recipe/986) that sound pretty good. While I could certainly go for plain liver with onions and/or bacon, the best liver dish I can remember was a Hungarian liver stew from a long-gone little cafe in Calgary. As near as I can recall, it was similar to **villa** ’s dish except for handfuls of paprika. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/37 "2007-04-20T02:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] **Liver 'n Leave It** (servings vary) 1 beef liver 1 paper bag _Instructions_: Place liver in paper bag and fold closed. Drive to abandoned field or wooded area. Drop bag containing liver on ground. Flee. The only recipe I know that does it justice. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=lissener] No, that’s the recipe for kimchee. [/quote] No, it’s the recipe for another Korean dish, [_bosintang_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosintang). (Step 2: Wait behind tree with shotgun.) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/38 "2007-04-20T02:51:46Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] I swear I have not had unatural relations with that liver. Being a girl I’m not even sure how to go about it. [/QUOTE] Check e-mail for instructions. Five or six e-mails, actually. I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/39 "2007-04-20T12:51:27Z")
My recipe for liver basically involves lightly tossing it in the trash. I’ve seen too many autopsy livers. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677/40 "2007-04-20T20:53:55Z")
[hijack] Does anybody know where to buy authentic _pate de fois gras,_ or goose livers to make it? Every supermarket I’ve looked in, the only “pate” available is made from pork liver, or duck if you’re lucky. [/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liver/400677.md?page=3)