Chicken liver is bitter what to do. How to remove bitterness from the liver

The liver of any animal is very useful for humans. It contains not only vitamins and minerals, but also useful substances. However, most do not like the liver, because there is an opinion (by the way, erroneous) that the liver is very tough, has a bitter taste and is rather dry after heat treatment.

The liver is very tasty, fragrant and tender, it just needs to be properly prepared and cooked, it is not without reason that culinary specialists simply idolize the liver and the dishes obtained from it.

We offer you some tips on how to properly prepare the liver for cooking and how to remove all the bitterness from it.

It is advisable to take the liver fresh, then it will turn out to be more juicy and soft, additional freezing and thawing can spoil the taste of the product.

The opinion that the liver has a bitter taste is justified. This is due to the fact that the liver is located next to the gallbladder and its ducts, so improper cutting of the animal can damage these organs, the liquid from which will saturate the liver and give it an unpleasant bitter taste.

So, take the liver and remove all parts that have green colors or shades (the spilled bile stains the product with this color). By the way, if you overlooked and did not remove something, the liver will acquire a bitter aftertaste, which is difficult to remove, so if part of the liver is colored, do not spare it and remove it too, otherwise the taste will be lost.

One of the roughest is considered. It is her who is recommended to soak in milk before cooking. Before immersing the liver in a liquid, it is necessary not only to wash it, but also to remove the film from the liver, and also examine it for bile or its residues. Sometimes boiling water with salt is used for softness. The liver is boiled in it for several minutes, which is done when there is no milk or there is an allergy to dairy products.

The same is done with the liver of an old animal, after which it acquires softness and a delicate taste.

Do not forget about veal and chicken liver. Both products have many useful elements in their composition. For example, calf's liver contains a large number of zinc and copper, and also enriched with vitamins B and A. Chicken liver contains a large amount of vitamin C. Scientists say that the amount of this vitamin is even greater than in some fruits. In addition, chicken liver contains vitamin B, vitamin E and thiamine with selenium, which is why it is often recommended to pregnant women, since B vitamins are very useful for the development of the fetus.

Well, in the end, it is worth recalling that the liver needs a short heat treatment, that is, when cut, it should have a slightly pinkish tint, but if it is overexposed (regardless of whether it is boiled or fried), the liver will become dry, tough and tasteless.

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

To keep the liver from burning

Not every cook, especially a beginner, will decide to cook pork liver. And the reason for this is the fact that pork is bitter because of the bile ducts that are in it. It is these ducts that must be removed during the cleaning of the offal very carefully and washed with each piece 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 proportion to 1 liter of water - 150 g of 9% vinegar. 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 cooking. Well, to hide the sweetish aftertaste, the liver is salted during cooking 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 cooking 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 even in the process of cooking it will increase in volume.

Ingredients:

• 400 g liver
• 100 ml milk
• 2 onions
• 200 ml sour cream
• 1 garlic clove
• 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 and cut the onion into half rings, fry on vegetable oil until the onion is soft. Add the liver to it and fry everything together for about 10 minutes.

3. In a separate container, mix all the other ingredients - sour cream, flour, mustard, finely chopped garlic, spices. Pour the liver with this sauce and cook everything together until tender. The readiness of the liver is determined by whether blood comes out of 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 excessively 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 time.
The dish prepared according to this recipe is very soft, juicy and tasty.

Serve on the table stewed liver preferably hot with salads or any side dish, although pork liver is often eaten chilled.

Other pork liver recipes

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

At the end of cooking, salt and pepper the dish, although true chefs do not recommend getting carried away with spices while cooking pork liver, because it has a pleasant taste and aroma from nature.

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

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

These are so simple and delicious recipes cooking pork liver can please all family members with delicious and healthy dishes on dinner tables.

An interesting video on the topic: "How delicious to cook pork liver without bitterness and simply":

Beef liver, loaded with nutrients, including folic acid, vitamins A, B12, C, D, E and K, as well as minerals: iron, copper and zinc. Like other organ meats, liver has many more nutrients than muscle meat. Many gourmets are not accustomed to the taste of beef liver, but it is delicious when cooked properly. The taste of the liver is distinct and strong, with a soft texture.

For some people, liver and onions may not seem attractive, but many people just want to enjoy the taste of meat. Sometimes beef liver can have a bitter taste, which can make it unappealing. The bitter taste can overwhelm your taste buds and turn you away from enjoying meat. You can remove this bitterness at home by soaking the liver in milk to soften the taste of the liver. After you soak the liver in milk, cook it with your preferred cooking method. Grill beef liver to achieve a smoky, charred crust and tender center.

Step 1: cut the liver of the desired thickness and size.
Step 2: Place the beef liver in a shallow bowl.
Step 3: fill the container with whole milk until the liver is completely covered.
Step 4: put the liver and milk in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Step 5: Remove the liver from the milk. Pat the liver dry with a paper towel.

How to fry beef liver

Instructions

1. Wash and rinse the beef liver under cold, running water. Wipe it thoroughly and dry it with paper towels.

2. Place the liver on a cutting board. Use the tip of a knife to scrape and loosen the membrane that covers the liver. Pull the membrane with your fingers. Gently clear the liver of any veins or excess fat from the membrane.

3. Cut the liver into steak-shaped pieces, about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick. Also, cut the meat into 1-inch squares and thread them onto a skewer or onto metal or wooden skewers.

4. Place the liver in a large, zippered thermos bag, or lay the liver skewers in an even layer in a large, shallow baking dish. Add milk to take the strong flavor out of the liver, or make a marinade to add flavor to the liver. Try making a marinade olive oil, vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, salt and ground pepper. Use about 1 cup marinade or milk per pound of liver.

5. Close up with a bag or cover the dish with foil. Let the liver marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

6. Prepare the grill for direct grilling. Preheat your gas grill to medium-high heat.

7. Apply a small amount of olive oil to the grill grate in a thin layer using a heat resistant brush. Remove the liver from the milk or marinade, shaking off the excess, and place on the grill.

8. Fry the liver for 3 minutes on the first side, or until it starts to turn brown and slightly charred. Turn the liver over with tongs on the grill and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes. Don't overcook or the liver will become tough. Check the internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Remove the grilled liver. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Always wash your hands after handling raw liver to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria.

• The liver turns out very tasty with fried bacon and onions.

Fresh liver, has bright color and wet surface. Check it also for a fresh and clean smell.

Chicken liver is a tasty and nutritious offal, it is rich in vitamins A, B and C, as well as folic acid, selenium and iron. Moreover, in terms of the presence of iron, the liver is much superior to many vegetables and fruits, which is why it is indicated for use by people suffering from diseases of the circulatory system. The liver is used to prepare many dishes and often acts as a worthy alternative to expensive meat products. The only drawback of chicken liver is the likelihood of bitterness, which negatively affects the taste of dishes and is often the reason for not buying it.

Causes

The main reason for the appearance of a bitter taste is improper cutting of the chicken carcass, during which the bile ducts are damaged, bile immediately envelops the liver and makes it inedible. It is the presence of bile that causes unpleasant bitterness, which is due to the presence in its composition of special enzymes that break down fats. This makes it necessary to pay special attention to the gutting of the chicken: care must be taken not to damage the ducts and bladder.

However, if the spill of bile did occur, you can try to save the situation and return the liver to its original taste.

Methods for eliminating bitterness

The main way to remove the bitter taste of by-products is to soak them. This method allows you to almost completely get rid of bitterness and makes it possible to use the liver for further cooking. However, before proceeding with soaking, it is necessary to rinse the product under a stream of cold water, removing yellow-green mucus and remnants of the ducts. The use of hot and warm water in this case is unacceptable: this will contribute to a deeper penetration of bile into the structure of the liver, after which it will become impossible to correct the situation.

After the liver has been washed, you need to take a deep container, pour cold water into it, add table salt at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. /liter and mix well. After the salt has dissolved, the washed liver is placed in the container and left for half an hour. The best option would be to place the pieces in one layer, since with a multi-layer arrangement they will touch each other, and the process of removing bitterness will slow down.

After the specified time, the water must be drained. If the liquid becomes bloody or has acquired a dirty brown hue, the procedure should be repeated. If the water is only slightly colored in pink color, then the liver should be washed again under cold running water and proceed to cooking it.

In addition to water, you can use milk. To do this, they also wash the pieces of bile, and then place them in milk, and you do not need to salt it. Milk soaking also lasts 30 minutes, after which the milk is drained, and the liver is washed and sent to the pan. As for the effectiveness of both methods, experienced housewives consider them equivalent, and which one to use depends on the personal preferences of the cook.

How to save the dish?

It often happens that, despite the measures taken to remove bitterness, the cooked liver still continues to taste bitter. In this case, you can try to mask the bitter taste with seasonings and spices. Sometimes the use of walnut sauce helps to correct the situation. This combination has a very unusual taste, and a barely noticeable bitterness will only benefit.

The addition of spices that have a pronounced taste helps well. If you add a little sourness along with them, then the bitter aftertaste will be interrupted and become almost invisible. It is better not to experiment with sweet sauces: sweetness does not interrupt the bitterness well, and the dish will be completely spoiled. Also, some housewives recommend chopping several large carrots, frying them with onions and ketchup, then combining them with cooked liver, salt, pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. Carrots soften bitterness well, and ketchup “distracts attention” with a barely noticeable sourness.

• In order not to buy bitter chicken liver, it is necessary to purchase offal in open trays. For packaging, a transparent film is usually used, which allows you to visually check the product for yellow-green blotches. After the liver has thawed, you need to carefully examine each piece and, if a problem is found, do not try to wash it, but simply throw it away. The remaining pieces must be thoroughly washed under cold water and soaked in salt water or milk for prevention.
• When cutting the carcass yourself, you should freeze it in the freezer to such an extent that it just lends itself to cutting. Then you need to carefully separate the gallbladder and quickly remove the ducts. Freezing is necessary so that the bubble is removed as a single frozen lump, and not smeared and spread over the liver. After the bile is removed, the liver is washed from excess blood, which, when frozen, coagulates and is easily separated from the offal.
• It is also necessary to pay attention to the appearance of the liver. fresh product has a dark red color and a smooth, even surface. A lighter or brownish tint indicates that the offal is most likely old or the chicken was actively pumped with growth stimulants during cultivation. And although such a liver, as a rule, is not bitter, whether to buy it or not - everyone decides for himself.

The liver is amazing useful product, which you need to have in the diet, even if rarely. But, despite the benefits and low calorie content of liver, there is one drawback - if cooked incorrectly, the liver becomes bitter. Why is this happening? What to do with it? In this article, we will find out why the liver of beef, chicken, pork and cod is bitter. We will share tips on how to get rid of bitterness and give practical recommendations for the preparation of this product.

Why the liver is bitter: chicken, pork, beef, cod

The liver takes an important part in metabolism. Any living organism needs this organ to cleanse the blood and the body as a whole from harmful substances.

Why is the liver bitter? The unpleasant taste of liver is due to bitter enzymes that are in the body and are needed to break down fat. Experienced housewives know a lot of ways to hide an unpleasant aftertaste, or even get rid of it altogether. But these methods do not always work, since the cause of bitterness may lie elsewhere.

Bile is the cause of bitterness

Why bitter pork liver? She, like the liver of a cow, chicken and other animals, in addition to bitter enzymes, also has a gallbladder. Bile is a bitter substance that, when improperly processed on meat, completely spoils its taste. Getting rid of the taste of bile is very difficult!

Even if you carefully remove the bubble when cutting the carcass or buy a ready-made, processed organ, there will be no guarantee that the bitterness of bile will not be present even with the most thorough preparation.

Damaged product

Why is cod liver, bought in the form of canned food in a jar, bitter? Most likely, this is a spoiled product that is dangerous to health to eat. If you feel an unpleasant taste of bitterness after tasting a piece from a jar, then hurry to throw away the product or return it to the store where you bought it, this will require a receipt confirming the purchase.

Frozen cod liver, beef, pork or chicken is also often spoiled. This will be evidenced by ugly dark blue or greenish spots located in some places. Unfortunately, before defrosting, it is almost impossible to notice. Some cut out the spoiled parts of the product, and the rest is cooked. But we would not recommend risking your health and the health of your household in this way.

Choose only chilled meat products for purchase, traces of spoilage in such products simply cannot be hidden. Inspect the liver before buying.

If nothing can be done with the spoiled product, then a number of culinary tricks will help to overcome the bitterness from bile or eliminate the taste of the bitter enzyme.

Having figured out why the liver is bitter, you can begin to eliminate the unpleasant taste. There are many methods for this, and everyone is able to save your culinary masterpiece!

1. Do not cook freshly bought chilled liver. It has blood in it that tastes bitter. To get rid of it, you need to freeze the product, then cut it, removing all the films, and then rinse well under running water. Frozen blood is washed out easier!
2. Fresh liver has a uniform, slightly purple dark red color. if the product is pale, or vice versa, too purple, then this will indicate an expiration date, and this cannot be cooked.
3. Greenish spots on a good liver color are traces of bile, and not a delay. Such places just need to be cut out, so you do not get a bitter aftertaste when cooking.
4. If there are too many green spots, then do not cook the product, it is not of high quality, and the bile has already spread throughout the liver.

Removing bitterness by soaking

You can soak in milk, which must be pre-cooled. To do this, first cut, rinse the product in running water, and then place in a bowl of cold milk for an hour. Fold the pieces so that they lie freely.

If there is no milk, then ordinary cold water with salt will do. The soaking method is simple:

1. Cut and rinse the liver in cold water.
2. Pour only cold tap water into a bowl, add a teaspoon of salt.
3. Place the liver in the water so that the pieces are not stacked on top of each other.
4. After 30 minutes, rinse the pieces under running water.

Disguise of bitterness

If you do not understand why the liver is bitter even after processing and soaking, then there is only one way out - to mask the unpleasant aftertaste. To do this, we suggest remembering a few tricks:

1. Add more onions when frying, but do not take carrots. Fry then add tomato paste, wait until it turns orange, fill with water and simmer until tender.
2. Hide bad taste help spices, spices with a pronounced aroma and taste.
3. The walnut added to the dish will perfectly decorate the taste of the liver. He himself is slightly bitter, but this will hide the bitterness of the liver and give the dish a twist.
4. You can sprinkle the finished liver with a small amount lemon juice.
5. Do not try to mask bitterness with sweetness, this will only make things worse. It is unlikely that any of the eaters will like bittersweet meat.

Finally

Buy only chilled offal, and only from a trusted seller in a butcher's shop. Before buying, inspect the liver from all sides, twirling each piece without hesitation.

Avoid buying offal, and indeed meat products, frozen in supermarkets. Fresh products are sold only chilled. Freezing is something that was not sold chilled in time, and had to be frozen. Or the products were transported for a long time, which means they are no longer fresh!

When buying a jar of cod liver, pay attention not only to the manufacturer, expiration date, but also to the quality of the jar itself. It should be free of dents and scratches.