Often the liver turns out dry, bitter or tough, which is why many people do not like liver. Since liver is a very healthy and cheap product, we suggest liver lovers give it another chance.

The main problems that arise in the process of preparing liver at home are: the liver is bitter, the liver has become hard after frying.

How to cook delicious liver?

The first thing you need to do is buy good fresh liver.

How to determine the freshness of the liver?

When choosing a liver, you need to pay attention to its surface and smell. The surface of a fresh liver has no damage, dried spots, or stains. The color of the liver should not be too light or dark. If the color of the liver is too light, then the animal is sick, and if it is too dark, then the liver has been stored for a long time. The smell of fresh liver is sweet, but if you smell sourness, the liver is already spoiled.

If you lightly poke a knife into a raw liver, blood should come out, and the dent mark should quickly disappear and the surface should level out.

Why is the liver bitter?

Cook the liver so that it doesn’t really taste bitter. The liver becomes bitter if bile got on its surface during the slaughter of the animal, or the vessels, veins, film and fat were not carefully removed during processing; these components give bitterness to liver dishes. Coarse films are present in pork and veal liver; they must be removed with a knife, lifting the films with your hand. In poultry liver, all connecting veins must be removed.

Unfortunately, if your dish is bitter, there is nothing you can do about it, just be careful when choosing from now on and remove all films and veins so that the liver does not become bitter.

There is a myth that it is pork liver that is bitter, but beef, chicken and turkey liver can also give bitterness if it has not been processed correctly.

Why does the liver turn out dry and hard after cooking?

Beef or pork liver turned out hard and dry after frying, which means it was overheated. To make the liver soft, it only needs to be in a hot frying pan for 3-5 minutes. And be sure to bread it in flour or breadcrumbs before frying; such a batter will prevent juice from leaking out of the liver, and the liver will remain juicy.

To prepare soft and juicy liver, it must first be processed in the following ways:

• Soak in cold milk for 40-60 minutes;
• Sprinkle each piece with soda, after 1 hour, rinse thoroughly with water;
• Soak in mineral water with the addition of berry juice (fresh or frozen berries) for 40-60 minutes.

It is also worth salting the liver at the very end of cooking, as it absorbs moisture.

You can correct the situation with hard liver by simmering it for 40 minutes with onions, adding water or broth, or grinding it in a meat grinder and using it as a filling for pancakes or pies. This is also an occasion to make pate.

Liver is considered one of the healthiest products on our tables, because its beneficial properties have a positive effect on human health, and tasty cooked liver will serve as a kind of delicacy on any table. How to deliciously cook pork liver so that it is soft, has an appetizing appearance and is a healthy dish that every member of the household or even guests in the house will happily eat? It turns out that there are several secrets to preparing this type of offal that will allow every housewife to turn into a chef for her family or guests for a while.

So that the liver does not become bitter

Not every cook, especially a beginner, will decide to cook pork liver. And the reason for this is the fact that pork is bitter due to the bile ducts that are present in it. It is these ducts that must be removed very carefully when cleaning the offal and each piece must be washed during the cooking process. It is also very good to soak the liver before frying or stewing it in milk or water with vinegar in the proportion of 150 g of 9 percent vinegar per 1 liter of water. Soaking time is approximately 1-1.5 hours.

Also, in order to remove the bitter taste of the liver, a little sugar or a few teaspoons of honey are often added to it during the cooking process. Well, to hide the sweetish taste, the liver is salted during the cooking process at the end.

These are the simple and uncomplicated secrets of cooking pork liver. As for the recipe itself for stewing or frying the liver, it is also quite simple and includes a minimum set of ingredients.

Pork liver in sour cream sauce

So, before preparing the liver according to this recipe, it is best to soak its pieces in. This will give the product a softer and more delicate taste, and it will also increase in volume during the cooking process.

Ingredients:

• 400 g liver
• 100 ml milk
• 2 pcs onions
• 200 ml sour cream
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp mustard
• vegetable oil for frying
• salt, pepper and herbs to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Clean the liver from the bile ducts, cut into pieces and soak in milk.

2. Peel the onion and cut into half rings, fry in vegetable oil until the onion becomes soft. Add the liver to it and fry everything together for about 10 minutes.

3. In a separate container, mix all other ingredients - sour cream, flour, mustard, finely chopped garlic, spices. Pour this sauce over the liver and cook everything together until done. The readiness of the liver is determined by whether blood flows from it when pressed or cut. It is not recommended to fry this dish for too long, so that it does not turn out to be too hard and the liver itself does not dry out.

4. At the end of cooking, salt the liver and sprinkle with herbs. Cover the dish with a lid and let it brew for some more time.
The dish prepared according to this recipe turns out very soft, juicy and tasty.

It is advisable to serve stewed liver hot with salads or any side dish, although pork liver is often eaten chilled.

Other pork liver recipes

The fastest way to prepare this offal is, of course, frying it in vegetable oil. The recipe itself is very simple, because chopped pieces of liver just need to be fried in vegetable oil on both sides for about 10 minutes.

At the end of cooking, add salt and pepper to the dish, although true chefs do not recommend getting too carried away with spices when preparing pork liver, because it has a naturally pleasant taste and aroma.

A very unusual and tasty preparation of pork liver in Japanese. This recipe is not from Japanese cuisine, but it got its name because of the ingredients included in the recipe, popular in this country - rice, soy sauce, paprika.

The liver pieces must be cut into long strips and each one fried in flour and vegetable oil. Separately, tangerine slices are fried in butter and placed on pieces of liver. Rice is boiled separately. When serving, the rice is sprinkled with soy sauce, and the liver pieces are laid out next to the tangerine pieces on them. You can also add peas, paprika or red pepper to the rice to taste. The dish turns out to be unusual, but very tasty.

These simple and tasty recipes for preparing pork liver can please all family members with delicious and healthy dishes on the dinner table.

An interesting video on the topic: “How to cook pork liver deliciously without bitterness and simply”:

Chicken, veal, lamb, beef, pork liver is a healthy food product, rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Liver, especially pork liver, is very often bitter. That’s why many people choose beef liver when cooking, which is more tender and rarely tastes bitter. But real masters know how to cook pork liver so that it turns out tasty and tender, and most importantly, does not taste bitter.

Why is pork liver bitter?
Next to the liver is the gallbladder, and in the liver itself are the bile ducts. If the gallbladder is removed incorrectly, not carefully, then bile will get into the product and ruin its taste, adding that very bitterness that can spoil the entire dish.

How to remove bitterness from the liver?
1. Since the bitterness of the liver causes bile, the first thing you need to do is cut out the bile ducts from the liver and any pieces that are colored greenish (the color is inherent in spilled bile). No amount of soaking of spoiled liver can cope with the appropriate taste.

2. Rinse the liver with cold water and remove the film from it

3. Pork liver is coarser in structure and to give it additional softness and tenderness, it is soaked for several hours in cold cow's milk. You can also soak beef, lamb and chicken livers in milk - this procedure will give a more delicate taste and softness to any liver.

4. The same effect can be achieved if you blanch the liver before cooking, that is, boil it for several minutes in cool, lightly salted boiling water.

How to remove bitterness from the liver if there is no milk?
Remove the bile and ducts from the liver, and also clear the film. Then put the liver in salt water, which will flush out the bile. Milk can also be used to eliminate bitterness in the liver, but it is no better than salt water.
You don’t need to fry the pork liver for long, a couple of minutes on each side, and never add salt. The liver is salted after it has been fried.

What to do if you fried the liver and it tastes bitter?
It also happens that the liver appears to be without large ducts, fresh, soft, you didn’t soak it, but cooked it right away, but after trying it you realize that the liver is bitter - what to do?
You can fry the onions and carrots, add a little water and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the frying pan and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Plus, adding plenty of carrots will add sweetness, thereby softening the pork liver.

Which liver is better?
Veal and chicken liver are rightfully considered the most tender. If you choose between these 2 products, it is worth paying attention to the fact that calf liver contains even more copper, a lot of zinc, and is also rich in vitamins A and B12. But chicken liver contains calcium, iron, selenium, thiamine, folic acid, vitamin E and a lot of vitamin C. Many fruits are inferior to chicken liver in terms of vitamin C content. So both beef and chicken liver are useful.

Chicken, veal, lamb, beef, pork liver - everyone knows the product, rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. But despite the undoubted benefits, not many people like liver dishes. There is a widespread belief that liver is dry, rough and, unless soaked in milk, bitter. And tea, properly selected, prepared and cooked liver is a delicate, delicious dish.

You will need

• A sharp thin knife;
• Excellent lighting;
• Milk or boiling water and salt.

Instructions

1. So where did the myth that liver tastes bitter come from? The fact is that next to the liver there is a gallbladder, and in the liver- bile ducts. If the animal has been abnormally butchered, if you do not carefully remove the gall bladder, then bile will get into the product and ruin its taste, giving it that very bitterness, which can ruin the entire dish.

2. Observe the liver. Remove the gallbladder, cut out the bile ducts and any greenish-colored pieces. This color is just characteristic of spilled bile. This is all that can be done to get rid of sadness. No soaking spoiled liver unable to cope with the characteristic taste.

3. Pork liver is more saucy in structure and in order to give it additional softness and tenderness, it is soaked in milk. To do this, the pork liver is washed in advance, the membrane is removed, the bile ducts are removed and soaked for several hours in cold cow's milk.

4. The same result can be achieved if you blanch the liver before cooking, that is, boil it for several minutes in cool and lightly salted boiling water.

5. If you doubt that the liver you bought is from a young animal, then, regardless of origin, pre-soaking in milk or blanching will also not hurt. Tea is known that with age, all tissues lose elasticity, which means that when prepared, they will become more rigid.

6. Veal and chicken liver is rightfully considered the most tender. If you choose between these two products, you should pay attention to the fact that calf liver contains much more copper, a lot of zinc, and is also rich in vitamins A and B12. But in chicken liver contains calcium, steel, selenium, thiamine, folic acid, vitamin E and a lot of vitamin C. Many fruits are inferior to chicken liver according to the table of contents of vitamin C.

Helpful advice
The liver needs a short heat treatment. Positively cooked liver is slightly pink when cut. If you overcook or overcook the liver, it will become rough and dry.

How to cook pork liver.

Previously, I attended training camps in the city of Kislovodsk twice a year, where fresh young meat and liver are sold. We cooked pork liver at least once a week because it is very rich in iron and is very inexpensive. To avoid getting tired of pork liver, we experimented by preparing it in different ways. Therefore, I know firsthand how you can prepare it tasty and healthy.

To cook pork liver deliciously, you need to know certain tricks at each stage of its preparation:

1. How to choose pork liver.

Any Caucasian salesman will assure you that “This pig was crowing just yesterday.” But having bought “yesterday’s” delicacy several times, we realized that fresh liver should be smooth and bright burgundy in color. Touch the liver, if it is elastic and your touch does not leave marks on it, then it is fresh. You should not take loose or grayish-brown liver; it is old or thawed. Such a liver may contain harmful toxins. You also need to choose a liver that has no veins. It is advisable to manage to take the very edge of the liver, in this place it is the most delicious and without veins.

2. How to remove bitterness from the liver.

Pork liver is very bitter, which may be why its price is not so high. But this bitterness can be easily removed. The bitterness of the liver is caused by bile, which is located in the bile ducts. Therefore, the bile ducts need to be cut out from the liver. If you don’t want to cut out all the ducts, then remove at least the large ones. Also cut out all the pieces of suspicious color where bile may be located, they are greenish-yellow in color. Then cut the liver into pieces and place in salt water or milk for at least 30 minutes, maximum 3 hours. If, after preparing the liver, you still feel bitterness, you can minimize it by adding some mushrooms and fresh herbs (especially parsley and cilantro).

3. Methods for preparing pork liver.

Recipes for cooking liver are varied and depend on the time and inspiration you have:

A) One of the banal ways of preparing pork liver. Cut the liver into pieces, rinse in cold water, cover with milk for 30 minutes. Place the liver in a heated frying pan with oil, fry on both sides, then add the chopped onion. Then simmer the liver under the lid for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

B) An extreme method of preparing pork liver. In order to increase hemoglobin, you need to wash it thoroughly, remove all veins and dubious pieces. Then soak in salt water for 1 hour. Fry in a frying pan for 5 minutes on both sides. The taste is quite piquant, but after 2 weeks, along with the use of iron supplements, hemoglobin rises by 10-15 units.

C) Liver with champignons in sour cream sauce. We will need: champignons - 250 grams, pork liver - 300g, onions - 1 piece, sour cream - 1 glass, water - 1 glass
1 tablespoon flour, salt, pepper, seasonings, parsley. The champignons need to be cut into thin slices, the onion into cubes, and the liver into long pieces. At first
Fry the champignons in a frying pan for 5 minutes, then add the onion and simmer until it becomes soft. Then add the liver, salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring. After this, add flour, mix it all and pour in water, then bring to a boil. When the water boils, add sour cream. Simmer for another 15 minutes. 5 minutes before readiness, add chopped parsley.

I myself regularly cook pork liver, as it increases hemoglobin very well.