The liver belongs to the category of offal useful to humans. In addition to vitamins and minerals, it contains such useful components as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The liver has an original taste, is an exquisite delicacy. But to enjoy this dish, you need to cook it correctly. Often, housewives have to deal with the problem when the nutritious by-product after heat treatment becomes hard, dry, a little bitter. If you follow the advice of experienced chefs, all this can be avoided. How to cook the liver so that it is soft and juicy? Read the helpful tips and proven recipes below.
The important point is the choice
The main secret of making a tender, tasty, melt-in-your-mouth liver is simple - it must be chosen correctly. If you buy a low-quality product, then no culinary techniques will eventually save the situation. The first thing you should pay attention to is freshness. A good liver is firm, soft, shiny and moist, free of scratches and dried patches. In addition to visual inspection, you need to make sure that the liver smells right, has a slightly sweet aroma. On its surface there should be no blood clots, spots of a greenish tint, which will cause bitterness in the finished dish.
If you buy this product frozen, make sure that there are no ice blocks on its surface. The liver, which can be safely taken, can be covered with the thinnest crust of ice on top. It is important to try to remember all these selection rules and put them into practice. A good, fresh liver is the key to a pleasant taste and goodness of the finished dish.
Easy preparation for heat treatment
Most often, beef, pork, chicken or turkey liver is used for eating. To make the finished dish juicy and soft, it is necessary to properly prepare the offal for stewing or frying. Proper preparation of the liver involves a careful attitude to it. First you need to remove the veins and vessels from it, remove the film. These procedures usually require beef or pork liver. To make the film easier to remove, it is recommended to pre-place the meat in warm water for a few minutes.
To get rid of the bitterness that is often present in pork liver, experienced chefs recommend first immersing it in cool cow's milk and keeping it for several hours. To spice up the taste, you can add a pinch of sugar to the liquid. Soaking can be subjected to both whole and chopped liver.
Milk is a unique product that can make meat unusually tender and soft. In the absence of time, you can use the express method, which involves boiling the liver for several minutes in lightly salted water. Another way to make the finished dish melt in your mouth is to beat off the raw liver with a kitchen hammer, after wrapping it in strong cellophane.
The final step is proper preparation.
The liver can be prepared using various heat treatment methods. Usually this product is stewed, fried, baked or boiled. The fried dish is considered one of the most delicious. Many housewives are afraid to use this heat treatment option - if everything is done incorrectly, you can end up with a raw inside or an overdried dish. But you should not refuse this method of preparation. Frying the liver is easy and simple - all you need is a little skill.
After soaking in milk, the raw product must be rolled in flour or sesame seeds, and then sent to a hot frying pan for frying for 5 minutes. Then you need to turn off the fire and let the dish sweat under the lid. Exposure to the internal temperature will allow it to reach readiness. The liver fried in this way will turn out to be airy and juicy.
Another cooking method involves frying the offal along with onions and carrots, followed by stewing in a saucepan with a thick bottom. To soften the taste, it is recommended to use a little sugar. Salt should be added only at the end of cooking, so that the finished liver does not turn out hard. If you decide to bake this healthy and tasty product, first pre-cut it, fry it in a pan for several minutes and only then send it to the oven.
Beef liver is an offal that is rich in protein and iron. Very often it is prescribed to people suffering from anemia. The consumption of the liver favorably affects the metabolic processes of the body. Some use this product for weight loss, because by eating the liver, for example, for breakfast, you can not remember hunger for a long time, plus it saturates the body with additional energy.
I would like to note that many housewives often cook delicious and juicy beef liver. Because its taste and aroma will appeal to many. But there are also disadvantages, when after cooking the liver can become tough and not juicy. In order to avoid such troubles, and not think about how to cook beef liver so that it is soft and juicy, you should follow the correct technology for preparing dishes from this product.
First of all, you need to properly prepare the liver. To do this, it is freed from the film, rigid ducts and unnecessary cores. If the film is poorly removed, then place the offal for a minute in hot water. To make the liver soft, after cutting it into portions, it is dipped in milk for at least an hour. Then even the oldest liver after cooking will acquire a delicate texture.
To prepare this dish, we prepare the liver, as described above, if necessary, soak it in milk. Then we cut it into plates 1.5 cm thick. Then we beat it off with a hammer on both sides. Next, the flour is mixed with salt, spices. Pieces of the liver are laid out on a preheated pan, previously rolled in flour, and fried on both sides until golden brown.
In general, the liver does not cook for a long time, so you should not fry it too much. Otherwise it will be tough. Separately, in a frying pan, fry the onion rings until golden brown. The liver is mixed with onions, sprinkled with herbs and served hot. Following the technology of preparation of this recipe, the liver is soft and juicy. 
First, soak the prunes in boiling water. Then we prepare the liver, cut it into squares and lightly beat off on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and spices on top, steamed whole prunes without a stone are placed in the middle, and fasten with a toothpick.
Water is poured into a deep bowl, a few tablespoons of vegetable oil are added and the liver is laid in one layer so that it is half covered with liquid. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, then flip to the other side and bring to readiness. Be sure to close the lid so that the liver does not wind on top.
The liver should be in the broth in which it was stewed. If you let it brew a little, it will only improve the taste. After cooking, the toothpicks can be removed, the stuffed offal will not fall apart. When serving, pour over the sauce in which it was stewed. The dish turns out tender and soft, even if you do not pre-soak the liver in milk.
To prepare such a masterpiece, we cut the prepared liver into large cubes. Then sprinkle with salt, spices and mix. Let's brew a little. Next, transfer to a deep bowl, add vegetable oil, and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Separately, at the same time, fry the onion until golden brown and add to the liver. Simmer another 5 minutes.
Then we dilute the sour cream with a little water, add it to the liver, simmer for several minutes, add the starch, previously diluted in a small amount of cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off. When served, it pairs perfectly with any side dish. The liver prepared using this technology is distinguished by a high combination of taste. The dish turns out tender, soft.
Juicy beef liver stewed in pots
To prepare such a dish, it is necessary to prepare the liver by cutting it into medium cubes. After that, the onions and carrots are chopped into small cubes, and the potatoes are medium so that they do not boil when stewing, and fry until half cooked.
The liver is breaded in flour with salt and fried until golden brown until half cooked, you can do it over high heat, in a hot frying pan, stirring quickly. This is done so that in the further cooking technology the liver does not become stiff. Since this product is cooked quickly, you should not stew it for a long time, or fry it, otherwise it will have a “rubber” consistency.
Next, they take clay pots and lay out the floor of the finished liver on their bottom in equal amounts. The second layer is laid onions and carrots. After fried potatoes. Then the sauce is prepared. To do this, sour cream is diluted with water, brought to a boil and a little chopped dill is added, salted, spices are added and poured into pots up to the shoulders.
Then the pots are covered with lids and placed in an oven or oven. They are cooked there for 20 minutes over medium heat. At this time, the liver reaches readiness, and the vegetables are saturated with sour cream sauce. After that, the pots are removed from the oven, sprinkled with cheese on top, put in the oven so that the cheese melts and removed. Served hot.
This dish is convenient in that it is distinguished by its usefulness in human nutrition, as it retains all the vitamins and nutrients to the maximum. The liver is tender and just melts in your mouth. Since it is not overcooked, and this is the most key moment in the preparation of dishes from this offal. If the liver is overcooked, it will never be soft and juicy, so it is necessary to follow the correct cooking technology, because then it will be impossible to correct such a flaw.
It has long been argued about whether beef liver is harmful or useful? But today we will not argue and argue on this topic. It's a waste of time. There are such active supporters of the fact that it is harmful that they cannot be argued. Therefore, we will cook for those who love this delicious product!
And we will cook the easiest option - fried beef liver with onions. Let's cook it so that it will be soft, juicy and very tasty.
In order to cook it like this, you need to choose it correctly in a store or on the market. To make the dish not only tasty, but also healthy, it is advisable to take a fresh product. A frozen product loses many of its beneficial qualities. It will be possible to cook it deliciously, but do we want to get the maximum benefit from the product? We don’t cook this dish often, we don’t do it that often, so if you come across a good piece in the store, feel free to take it and cook it.
Before buying, pay attention to the appearance of the offal. It should be shiny and have a smooth, uniform surface. Veal liver is red, beef liver is darker. Do not take very dark, the darker the color, the older the animal, and the tougher the finished dish will be.
The smell should be pleasant, slightly sweet. If you feel that the smell does not match this, it is better to refuse the purchase. Lightly press your finger on the piece, it should not leave any marks.
Try to choose a piece where there are fewer ducts. This will reduce the processing time, they will all need to be deleted.
Do not ignore these tips, the future taste of our dish directly depends on them.
Beef liver fried with onions
We will need:
- liver - 600 gr
- onion -4 pcs (large)
- tomatoes - 2 pcs. or tomato paste
- spices - zira, coriander
- salt pepper
- vegetable oil
- greens for decoration - dill, parsley, green onions
Cooking:
1. And so we have already acquired a good fresh piece of beef liver. Now you need to rinse it thoroughly, then cut out all the ducts, remove the veins and films. If we do not do this, then it will shrink during frying. And while eating, absolutely chewy pieces will come across. If we remove everything in a timely manner, then this will allow us to get a juicy and tender dish.
2. When all the excess has been removed and cleaned, cut it into pieces 2 cm thick, 5 cm long. Some pieces will be smaller, but try to make the thickness the same.
3. Cut the onion into half rings 0.4-0.5 cm thick. Do not cut off the tails; it is convenient to hold the onion for them when cutting.
4. Grate the tomatoes, remove the remaining skin. And you can hold the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then the skin will be very easy to remove. Also grate the tomato. Or the second option is to cut the tomato into 2x2 cm cubes.
If cooking in winter and the tomatoes are not juicy, use tomato paste. I use in preparation. If you have store-bought pasta, take two tablespoons of it. It is more concentrated, so much will be enough.
5. Put the pan on the fire, pour vegetable oil, a little. So that it slightly covers the bottom. When the oil is warm, put the offal in the pan and fry over high heat for 30-40 seconds. from each side. And then we put it on a separate plate. Note that we did not salt the product beforehand. Our task is to quickly “seal” all the juice in it, so that in the process of further preparation it is preserved in every piece. In this case, it will turn out juicy and tender.
6. From the amount of product indicated in the recipe, I got two batches. If pink juice appears on the already fried pieces, it's okay, the liver will be subjected to further heat treatment.
7. In a separate frying pan, fry the onion in a small amount of vegetable oil until golden brown. It is not necessary to make a big fire, let it come slowly over medium heat. This offal is very good with onions, so you don’t need to feel sorry for onions. Firstly, the onion will enrich the dryish liver with its juice, and it will also become juicy and very tasty. And secondly, the onion itself in this dish will become very tasty.
8. When the onions are fried, add the tomato puree. Fry everything together for 5 minutes.
9. Transfer the contents to a separate plate. Put a layer of liver into the freed pan. Pour the juice that remained from her in a plate on top. In no case do not pour, it will give the right taste to the finished dish. Salt, put onion and tomato on top, salt it too. First, a little, then when everything is darkened for about 10 minutes, we will try and add more salt, but this is already necessary.
10. Ceiling zira and coriander in a mortar. Add spices to the pan.
11. Pour a glass of boiling water and cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Try to see if there is enough salt. Simmer another 10 minutes.
12. Open the lid, pepper. Cover again, after 5 minutes turn off the gas, do not open the lid, let it brew for 15 minutes.
The total quenching time is 30-40 minutes. During this time, almost all of the water will evaporate. If you like with gravy, then pour a little more water.
Beef liver fried with onions - the second option
1. First, fry the onion. Also golden brown.
2. As fried, add the liver and spices. Now do not yawn, mix everything well. In order for it to fry evenly, it is necessary to interfere almost constantly.
3. When the food is browned, pour 200 ml. boiling water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. After this time, add tomato paste or tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste.
5. Stew for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for another 10-15 minutes.
If you like lightly fried liver, then you need to fry it over high heat for 10 minutes.
If you like well-done, then you need to simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes.
It can be served on a large separate dish, or on a portioned plate with a side dish. For a side dish, it is good to use,. Today I wanted some variety, and I made a side dish of grilled baby zucchini. Moreover, now there are more and more of them every day, they have a lot of vitamins, and they are just very tasty!
Grilled zucchini in the oven
We will need:
- zucchini - 4 pieces
- salt - to taste
Cooking:
1. Wash zucchini, dry, peel if the skin is rough. Cut into 4 parts, salt.
2. Put on a grate greased with vegetable oil, put in a preheated oven. Bake on the "Grill" mode until cooked. If your oven does not have such a mode, then bake at a temperature of 180 degrees until cooked, about 25-30 minutes.
Ready-made fresh young zucchini are very tasty, soft and juicy. If you've never made one like this before, I highly recommend giving it a try. I'm sure you won't be indifferent!
Bon appetit!
0:1 0:11
Beef liver is one of the best offal, not only in taste, but also in nutritional value. Unlike pork, it has a slightly bitter, but pleasant taste.
0:315 0:325If we talk about the nutritional value of beef liver, then it is an indispensable product for people leading an active lifestyle and athletes, as it contains protein with an optimal set of essential amino acids.
0:735 0:745Also this product rich in selenium, which is a powerful antioxidant reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
0:1003 0:1013In addition, beef liver is a real storehouse of vitamins, especially it rich in vitamins A, C, D, E, K and B vitamins. 100 g of boiled liver contains the daily norm of all these essential vitamins.
0:1402 0:1412The liver is rich in trace elements: calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, sodium, phosphorus, zinc and especially iron, so doctors recommend including it in the diet of anemic patients.
0:17560:9
There are many ways to cook beef liver: it can be boiled, stewed, fried, baked.
0:210 0:220We will tell you how to fry the liver so that it turns out juicy, soft and tasty. This process has several subtleties and features.
0:487 0:497
1. First of all, it should be said that the taste of the finished dish will directly depend on the quality of the original product and its type.
1:1246 1:1256An important point is the freshness of the liver. Since this by-product has a very short implementation period - no more than 3 days - you should carefully consider its choice.
1:1571WITH fresh beef liver will have a rich color. A product that is too light or too dark may indicate poor quality.
1:285The film on the surface of the liver must not be damaged, and the cut should be smooth, not grainy.
1:473 1:4832. Before frying the liver, it should be properly processed. First you need to remove the outer film.
1:676To do this, pour boiling water over the liver, then immediately dip it in cold water. After this simple manipulation The film is removed from the liver very easily..
1:962 1:972 1:9823. After the liver is prepared, it should be soaked in milk.
1:1116This will get rid of the specific smell and give the liver a delicate taste. The liver should be soaked for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour and a half.
1:1391 1:14014. Decide how you want to fry the liver - in cubes or in large portions.
1:1566If the liver is cut into portions, then it should be wide flat pieces the width of a finger. When cutting the liver, you may come across bile ducts. They must be removed otherwise the dish may be spoiled.
1:412Wrap portions in cling film and lightly beat off with the back of a knife. It is not recommended to use a kitchen hammer for this purpose, since the liver is much softer and more tender than meat, and the hammer can crush or tear it.
1:850 1:860
5. After the liver is cut and beaten off, it should be soaked again in milk for 15-20 minutes.
2:1560 2:96. While the liver is soaking, prepare the breading.
2:113Mix flour and a small amount of spices. Rosemary, thyme and savory are good for this.
2:302Salting the liver at this stage is not worth it, as it will become tough, even if the heat treatment will take place according to all the rules.
2:549 2:5597. When the liver is completely ready for frying, the question arises, on what and how to fry it.
2:721Better do it on vegetable or melted butter. The degree of heating of the pan should be medium. If you cook the product over high heat, the liver will burn on the outside, but inside it will remain raw. And when it is cooked over low heat, it will turn out dry and tasteless.
2:1226Frying time depends on the size of the pieces. The best guide is the color of the product. As soon as a piece of liver changes color to half the cut, it should be turned over. Readiness of the liver is easy to determine by puncturing with a fork or knife.
2:1653If clear juice comes out of the liver, it is ready.. 5 minutes before readiness, the liver should be salted.
2:190 2:200
8. If you cut the liver into small cubes, it is best to fry them with onions.
3:870The liver is prepared as described above. Onions should be cut into thin half rings at the rate of 2-3 onions for every 300 g of liver.
3:1136 3:11469. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onion in it until golden brown. Roll the liver in flour mixed with spices and fry in a pan with onions. It is important that the liver is located in the pan in one layer.
3:1575If you need to cook a lot of liver, you will have to fry it in several approaches.. Fry the liver, stirring it until it changes color.
3:283 3:29310. When the liver brightens, fill it with a small amount of water and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3:474After that, the liver can be salted and peppered.
3:565 3:575
Beef liver is a difficult product to prepare. You need to use a lot of culinary tricks to turn it into a delicious tender dish. Surely every housewife will be interested to know how to cook tasty and soft beef liver. There are many such recipes.
Cooking tasty and soft beef liver in sour cream
The taste of the offal under discussion goes well with fatty sour cream, especially homemade. In addition to sour cream (4 tablespoons), the following are used: 550-650 g of liver, salt, large white lettuce onion, flour. How to cook a liver in sour cream is described below.
- The onion is finely chopped and fried in any hot fat until golden brown.
- The liver is freed from the film with a sharp knife, washed, dried and coarsely cut. If dense vessels are caught under the knife in the process, then they must be removed.
- Each piece is rolled in flour and salt and lightly fried.
- Next, the meat product is laid out in a saucepan, sprinkled with a passivated vegetable, poured with sour cream sauce, flour and 400 ml of boiled water. The liquid is salted and flavored with any seasonings to taste.
- On low heat, the contents of the pan are stewed for 20-25 minutes.
The resulting gravy is delicious when served with potatoes, buckwheat or pasta.
Stroganoff liver in a slow cooker
According to this recipe, a capricious offal is cooked for a long time, but the taste will turn out to be tender. To prepare the dish, take: 750 g of liver, 1 tsp. salt, 2 white onions, ground black pepper, 1.5 tbsp. water, tomato, 4 tbsp. fat sour cream, 2 tbsp. wheat flour.
- The liver is washed, cleaned of ducts and cut into miniature pieces.
- The onion is chopped into cubes, after which the products are cooked together in oil in the “Baking” mode for 12 minutes.
- After adding flour, the components are fried for another 6-7 minutes.
- The tomato, along with the skin, is cut into cubes and also sent to the bowl.
- After another 3-4 minutes, you can pour the products with a mixture of sour cream and warm water, salted and peppered in advance.
- In the "Stew" program, the appetizer is cooked for 35-40 minutes.
After the signal from the device, you can infuse the dish with constant heating for some more time in order to soften the finished product as much as possible.
Beef stroganoff with sour cream and onions
For this traditional treat, any meat products used are cut in a special way - long thin bars. From the components you need to take: 450 g of liver, salt, 1 tbsp. flour, white onion, 230 g fat sour cream, 2/3 tbsp. water.
- The liver is cut after cleansing from veins and films.
- The pieces are fried in hot oil until lightly browned, then sprinkled with onion half rings and simmer together over low heat for another 6-7 minutes.
- The flour is dissolved in cold water and boiled in a separate container for a couple of minutes until thickened. Next, sour cream is added to the liquid and brought to a boil.
- The resulting sauce is poured with offal with onions.
- Simmer the treat under a closed lid for another 6-7 minutes.
- At this point, salt is added to taste.
Thin slices of liver are perfectly softened.
Milk cooking option
The easiest way to cook beef liver deliciously is to stew it in milk. In addition to the offal (430 g), will be used: 130 ml of drinking water, salt, a couple of garlic cloves, 2 onions, 3.5 tbsp. flour. One glass of milk will suffice.
- The liver is washed, cleaned of everything superfluous, cut into pieces and beaten well with a special hammer.
- The slices are rolled in salted flour and fried in hot oil.
- First, the meat is poured with water and sprinkled with onion half rings.
- A few minutes after the liquid boils, warm milk is poured in. After the start of boiling, the mass must be stirred frequently.
- On low heat, the dish will languish for 5-7 minutes.
At the end of cooking, it is necessary to send the garlic passed through the press into the dishes.
How delicious to fry beef liver in a pan?
Even in an ordinary frying pan, you can make the liver tender and juicy, moreover, with a minimum set of products. In addition to the liver itself (670 g), you need to take: 2 onions, salt, 120 g of wheat flour.
- The offal is washed and cleaned of films, after which small steaks are cut.
- Onions are cut into half rings.
- First, the steaks are rolled in salted flour, placed in a pan with hot oil, covered with vegetable slices on top and fried on one side for 5-6 minutes. Then they turn over, if necessary, additionally salt and cook under the lid for another 8-9 minutes.
You can serve the resulting treat with any garlic sauce.
Tender liver cutlets
Liver kids especially like meatballs. As a thickener for minced meat from offal, sifted wheat flour with a volume of 90 grams will act. Also taken: 470 g of liver, salt, onion, a small spoonful of starch, 130 g of fat, egg, black pepper.
- The liver with vegetables and bacon turns into a homogeneous minced meat. To do this, you can use any device that is at hand.
- Flour, starch and a chicken egg beaten with a whisk are sent to the resulting mass.
- The liver mixture is laid out with a spoon in a small amount of hot oil. Cutlets are fried for a short time - a couple of minutes on both sides. Otherwise, they may lose their tenderness.
These cutlets are delicious served with any side dish.
How to boil beef liver so that it is soft?
Boiling is the easiest way to prepare the offal under discussion. The main thing is to know how to do it right.
- After a piece of liver is washed and cleaned of veins and films, it is poured with cold milk or ordinary drinking water. Leave it in the liquid for about an hour.
- Next, the liver is squeezed out, filled with new water and sent to the stove with medium heat.
- An offal is being prepared for 35-45 minutes. To speed up the process, you need to cut the liver into small pieces. Then it will cook in 15-17 minutes after boiling.
- The product is salted 5-7 minutes before the end of cooking.
If you pierce a piece of liver with a fork and a pinkish juice stands out from it, then the meat is not yet ready.
Juicy recipe with vegetables
With vegetables, beef liver is especially delicious to fry. In addition to the by-product (450 g), it is taken: tomato, carrot, 120 g of green beans, 10 g of salt, white onion, Bulgarian sweet pepper, 2-3 garlic cloves, 400 ml of milk, 3 tbsp. soy sauce without additives.
- The liver is cut in half and soaked in milk.
- Vegetables are coarsely chopped and fried for 3-4 minutes in fat (without tomatoes).
- The fried foods are shifted to the edges of the pan, and in the middle, chopped into pieces, the liver is prepared. When it turns white, you can mix the products and cook together until the meat component is fully cooked.
- Lastly, the mass is salted, slices of tomatoes are laid out to it, soy sauce is poured in and chopped garlic cloves are poured.
- After 2-3 minutes, the dish is completely ready.
You can add oregano and other dry seasonings to the appetizer. This will saturate the beef liver with savory herbal aromas.
Soft and tasty liver for children - pancakes
Such tender pancakes are prepared even for the smallest visitors to the kindergarten. They will help diversify the crumbs protein menu. In addition to the liver (180 g), take: half an onion, an egg, 1 tsp. salt, 60 g white flour.
- The liver is soaked in ice water, dried with a paper towel and coarsely chopped. In the process, large bile ducts, veins and films must be removed.
- Together with the peeled onion, the by-product turns into a homogeneous minced meat.
- Egg and wheat flour are added to the mixture. The base of the pancakes is salted and kneaded to dissolve the lumps.
