Preparation of soft beef liver. Methods and time of cooking beef liver

Animal liver is a valuable product in our diet due to the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids it contains, essential for health, beauty and longevity. However, we appreciate the liver not only as an important element of nutrition, but also as an exquisite delicacy with a bright and original taste - if, of course, the liver is cooked correctly, in accordance with the recommendations of experienced chefs. Unfortunately, many housewives hesitate to cook the liver, worrying about a possible failure, since this delicate meat can turn out to be slightly bitter, dry and tough due to the presence of sinewy films. Let's talk about how to cook an incredibly tasty, juicy, soft and tender liver at home.

The subtleties of the right choice

The main secret of making a delicious liver is to choose a quality fresh product. A good liver is elastic, soft, moist, shiny, without dried spots and scratches, with a pleasant and slightly sweet aroma. If you feel a sour smell, you should not buy the liver, because in this case it most likely has a “venerable” age, which can also be recognized by the color of the meat - the older it is, the darker the liver. Blood clots, blood vessels and greenish spots are unacceptable on the surface of the meat, which are a sign of damage to the gallbladder - in this case, the liver will be very bitter.

Quality can be distinguished by brown color with a burgundy tint, while light and yellowish meat indicates that the bird is sick. Fresh beef liver has the color of a cherry, and if it is lightly pierced with a knife or a knitting needle, scarlet blood will appear. A good veal liver is distinguished by a rich color - from brown to red, but most importantly - that there is no gray coating, a traitorous sign of stale meat. When buying a frozen liver, make sure that there are no ice blocks on its surface - it should be covered with a thin ice crust, and if the color of the meat has turned orange, then the liver is frozen. It is difficult to immediately understand the intricacies of the choice, but this stage is very important, because the taste and usefulness of the dish depends on the freshness of the meat.

Secrets of preparing the liver for heat treatment

How to properly cook the liver (beef, pork, chicken or turkey) so that it is very tender, soft, juicy and appetizing? Proper preparation of meat for frying or stewing is very important, since the liver needs to be treated with care.

Remove all vessels, veins from the liver and remove the film from the beef liver, picking it up with the tip of a knife and pulling it slightly with your fingers, without making sudden movements. If you did everything right, the film will come off easily and quickly, without tearing, especially if you first put the meat in warm water for two minutes. There is another secret to preparing tender beef liver - you should cut it into pieces, sprinkle with a little soda, leave for about an hour, and then rinse with water. This liver will melt in your mouth!

The liver (especially pork) is often bitter, but you can get rid of this bitterness if, after cleaning the meat from the veins and film, soak it in cold cow's milk, whey or salt water for several hours. For piquancy, a little sugar can be added to the liquid, while the meat can be soaked as a whole piece or cut into pieces. Milk works wonders with the liver, and even the roughest and toughest meat acquires velvety softness and tenderness. If you are short on time, instead of soaking, you can boil the liver in lightly salted water for a few minutes. Many gourmets prefer to marinate the liver in the cold for six hours, rubbing it with garlic and salt.

The liver, beaten off with a hammer, becomes even softer and more tender, but do not forget to place it in a plastic bag so that it does not spread.

Roast, cook, stew and bake

The liver is not only fried, stewed, boiled and baked, but also steaks, pates, salads, and pancakes are made from it. Fried liver is considered the most delicious, but some housewives do not dare to cook it, being afraid not to overcook it - who wants to chew dry and tasteless meat? We hasten to please you - frying the liver is easy and simple, you just need skill!

How to cook liver in a pan without additional ingredients? Aged in soda and well-washed meat should be rolled a little in flour or sesame seeds and fried in hot oil for 3-5 minutes, but no more, so as not to overdry the meat. Let it sweat a little under the lid, stew in its own juice and reach readiness under the influence of internal temperature. Properly fried liver turns out amazingly airy and juicy, and to also cook tougher pork liver, fry it with carrots and onions, and then simmer in a little water with sugar - this will soften its taste and make it more tender. Salting the liver is allowed only at the end of frying, otherwise it will harden, and even a large amount of carrots will not save it.

The liver can be stewed with milk, cognac, spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, curry, cloves), sour cream and tomato paste. If you decide to stew pork liver, preliminary frying is required, otherwise you will not be able to get rid of the annoying bitterness.

Before baking in the oven, it is better to fry the liver cut into pieces, and then place in the oven for 8 minutes. Readiness is checked with a knife - no blood or bloody liquid is released from the finished liver. In foil, the liver is usually baked for no more than 30 minutes, and do not forget to put a small piece of lard with a slice of liver - for softness and juiciness. Remember the main rule of cooking the liver: busting with the duration of heat treatment turns tender meat into an indigestible and hard sole.

Knowing how tasty liver can be cooked, it will not be difficult for you to create a festive lunch or a quick dinner. This truly royal delicacy can be served with potatoes, vegetables, cereals, pasta, lettuce and pickled onions. Properly cooked liver turns into a culinary and aesthetic delight that you want to cook again and again, adding unusual spices and ingredients. You can find even more on the Eat at Home website!

And minerals, as well as well absorbed by the body. However, many people dislike liver because of its peculiar taste or because it comes out tough and dry. Lifehacker's tips will help eliminate all these shortcomings and make a liver fan out of any picky.

Secrets of selection, processing and preparation

How to choose the right liver

To make the dish tasty and healthy, you need to choose a high-quality and fresh liver. To do this is quite simple.

1. Pay attention to the appearance of the product. The liver should be elastic, soft, moist and shiny, without scratches and damage. The presence of spots and blood clots is unacceptable. They may indicate a rupture of the animal's gallbladder, which automatically gives the liver a bitter taste.
2. The color of the liver should be neither too light nor too dark. Remember: good beef liver is a ripe cherry, pork liver is reddish brown, chicken liver varies from light brown to brown red, and turkey liver is dark red.
3. Fresh liver has a sweetish metallic flavor. A sour smell indicates that the product is spoiled.
4. There should be no excess ice on the surface of the frozen liver, and it should not have an orange tint. All this suggests that the product was either frozen several times or refrozen.

How to cook soft liver

1. First you need to remove all vessels, cores and films. In the case of beef liver, this is quite simple. But, to facilitate the procedure, you can hold it in warm water for several minutes. The film of pork liver is thinner and more difficult to separate. Try to leave the offal in boiling water for 20 seconds, and then remove the film by picking it up by the edge with a knife.
2. The sour marinade will give additional softness to the liver. For its preparation, juice or lime or a couple of tablespoons of vinegar is suitable. Mix one of these ingredients with water and soak the liver in it for a few hours before cooking.
3. Baking soda can also soften the liver. It is enough to sprinkle each piece with it and wait about an hour.
4. The last way is for those who like to use physical force. To make the product softer, you can simply beat it with a hammer. Just remember to place the liver in cellophane, otherwise it will spread.

How to cook delicious liver

1. So that the liver, especially pork, does not get bitter, you can soak it in milk, after cutting it into pieces. The recommended soaking time is from 30 minutes to several hours. By the way, milk will not only eliminate bitterness, but also make the liver very soft.
2. Instead of soaking, you can quickly boil the liver in lightly salted water. This trick should also rid the dish of bitterness.
3. But to mask the specific liver taste, products with strong, pronounced aromas will help. Onions, garlic, chili peppers, and fragrant herbs such as thyme or sage are good choices.

How to cook juicy liver

1. The main thing is not to overcook. To keep the liver juicy, it is enough to fry each side in a well-heated pan for 5 minutes (or less).
2. If you dip the liver pieces in flour or batter before frying, the juice will definitely remain inside.
3. Sour cream or cream are true friends of a juicy and soft liver. It is recommended to extinguish it in them for no more than 20 minutes.
4. The last item on the list and during cooking will be salt. It absorbs moisture, so it is better to add it at the end.

Dishes from the liver

Ingredients:

• 900 g chopped beef liver;
• 1 ½ cups of milk;
• 60 g butter, divided into pieces;
• 2 large sweet onions;
• 2 cups of flour;
• salt;
• pepper.

Cooking

Rinse the liver carefully under cold water, place in a bowl and cover with milk. It should completely cover the by-product: if the volume of milk indicated in the recipe is not enough, increase the dosage.

The liver can only be soaked while preparing the onion, but it is best to do this step in advance and let it stand for 1-2 hours.

Place half in a large skillet and melt over medium heat. Add chopped onion, bring it to softness and set aside on a plate.

Put the rest of the butter in the same pan. Remove the liver from the milk, pat dry with paper towels and roll in the flour, salt and pepper mixture. When the butter has melted, turn up the heat and place the liver pieces in the pan.

Fry the liver on both sides until golden brown. Return the onion to the skillet, turn the heat down to medium, and simmer for a while longer.

The remaining cooking time depends on your preferences, but still, you should not fry the liver too much. It is enough that it browns well on the outside, and remains a little pink inside.

Ingredients:

• 400 g chicken liver;
• 300 g of softened butter;
• olive oil;
• 2 shallots;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• a few sage leaves;
• 1 pinch of ground mace (muscat color);
• 1 small glass of brandy;
• sea ​​salt;
• freshly ground black pepper.

Cooking

Place half of the butter in a heatproof saucepan and place over low heat. Wait for the butter to melt: this should take about 10 minutes. Then strain the melted butter into a separate bowl and set aside to cool. For the pâté, only refined yellow butter is required, light residues can be discarded.

Peel and finely and garlic. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Sauté the onion and garlic over low heat until soft (about 10 minutes) and transfer to a plate.

Wipe the surface of the pan with paper towels, raise the heat, and add the liver with most of the sage leaves. Fry the liver on each side for two minutes so that it browns on the outside and remains pink on the inside. If overcooked, it will lose its delicate texture and the pâté will turn out grainy.

Add brandy. Be careful: alcohol can flare. Salt and pepper the liver and simmer it for about a minute.

Remove the liver from the heat and, along with the onion and garlic, transfer to a food processor. Grind the ingredients to a puree, then add the mace and most of the melted butter. Continue grinding until smooth.

Transfer the pate to a prepared container, sprinkle with sage leaves on top and cover with the rest of the melted butter with a spoon. Place the dish in the refrigerator for an hour. After this period, the pate can be eaten. Although, if the integrity of the top layer of oil is not violated, the liver treat can be stored for up to two weeks.

Ingredients:

• 500-600 g of pork liver;
• 3 tablespoons of pork fat;
• 1 shallot;
• 500 g fresh forest mushrooms;
• 3 tablespoons of olive or butter;
• 1 large onion;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• 1 sprig of thyme;
• 2 sage leaves;
• 2 tablespoons of dry sherry;
• 50 ml dry white wine;
• 250 ml chicken broth;
• 100 ml heavy cream.

Cooking

Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add the pork fat and when it is melted, add the liver. Fry it on all sides until brown.

Transfer the browned liver with chopped shallots to a saucepan and then simmer for 20-25 minutes. When the liver is firm (or when the food thermometer shows that the temperature in its thickest part has reached 55 ° C), remove it from the heat and leave it in a warm place, covered with a lid.

While the liver is cooling, start cooking the mushroom stew. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil in it and add . When they turn a little more brown and the excess liquid has evaporated, add chopped onion and garlic to the pan. Continue cooking until mushrooms soften. Then add thyme and chopped sage leaves. Mix well and pour sherry and white wine into a saucepan.

Increase the heat to high and wait until half the liquid has evaporated from the pan. Add broth and repeat the previous paragraph. When the stew thickens, pour the cream into the saucepan and stir. Taste the dish, salt and add more seasonings if necessary.

Cut the rested and slightly cooled liver into thin pieces. Transfer them to a warm plate and place the mushroom stew on top.

Bon appetit!

You know what I want to talk with you today about how to cook beef liver so that it is soft and juicy. Many hostesses are afraid of this dish, unfairly believing that only professional chefs can cook the liver quickly and tasty, and they think that, in principle, it is not easy to cook the liver so that it turns out juicy and soft.

I hasten to assure you of the opposite: tender beef liver in sour cream is a quick and easy dish that turns out to be very, very tasty. Of course, as in any recipe, there are some nuances and secrets on how to properly cook beef liver, but, believe me, even the most inexperienced and novice hostess can follow them.

How to properly cook beef liver so that it is soft, my mother taught me - it was she who suggested me a good recipe for cooking beef liver in sour cream.

At that time, I was just taking my first culinary steps, I had practically no experience in cooking liver. But this recipe for how delicious to cook beef liver in a pan with sour cream, I succeeded the first time, and came out very tasty and appetizing.

Since then, I often cook this dish, and I am always satisfied with the result. I will be happy to share with you how tasty it is to cook beef liver with sour cream quickly and without much hassle. Let's go to the kitchen?

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg of beef liver;
• 1 small carrot;
• 1 large onion;
• 5-6 tablespoons of high-fat sour cream;
• 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying;
• salt, ground black pepper to taste.

We wash the liver with cold water, remove films, vessels, pieces of fat (if any).

Cut the liver into pieces 7-10 mm thick. The size of the piece is such that there are about 2-3 per serving. The shape of the liver portions depends on the shape of the piece being cut, so they will be slightly irregular in shape and may differ slightly from each other.

Place the chopped pieces of the liver in a spacious bowl and pour over them with boiling water (so that all the pieces are covered with water). We stand like this for about 5 minutes. This procedure will help the liver remain soft and juicy.

We clean the onions and carrots. Cut the onion into half rings, and rub the carrots on a coarse grater.

How much to cook beef liver so that it is soft:

Heat up a frying pan with half the vegetable oil. We spread the liver and fry over a fairly high heat from 2 sides until a golden crust appears. Then simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat with a lid on. At the end, add salt and pepper.

In parallel, in another pan in vegetable oil, pass the onion and carrots, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream with 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water.

And fill the sautéed vegetables with this sour cream. Add salt and pepper. We mix.

We put the pan with sour cream and vegetable sauce on the fire, bring to a boil and add the liver. Turn the liver over in the sauce so that the pieces are completely covered.

We put on the smallest fire and simmer the beef liver in sour cream for another 5 minutes.

Such a beef liver stewed in sour cream is good on its own, and in company with some kind of side dish (porridge, potatoes), and with vegetable salad.

Offal is a fairly useful type of food. They contain a large number of substances that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body. This type of food includes beef liver. This product can be called dietary. It is used in fried, stewed, boiled form. The sections of this article talk about how to cook beef liver so that it retains its beneficial properties and tastes great.

The right choice of product

Many housewives do not want to include such food in their diet. They think liver dishes are too hard, dry and bitter. However, such a product should not be abandoned.

After all, it has many useful properties. Beef liver contains substances that are necessary to maintain good health (amino acids, vitamins A and B). Thanks to these compounds, the level of hemoglobin rises, the condition of the eyes and nervous system improves, and the body's defenses are strengthened. Today there are many dishes with this ingredient. Knowing how to cook beef liver correctly, you can diversify your diet with delicious foods. Much depends on the choice of product. It should be neither too dark nor too light. The ideal color is a shade of ripe cherries. The presence of a large number of vessels and veins is undesirable. Therefore, it is better to acquire not the central fragment of the liver, but the extreme one. The surface of a quality product is smooth, without dry areas, dark spots. A sweetish, but not sour, smell is acceptable.

Features of heat treatment

Many housewives are interested in the question of how to cook beef liver soft and juicy. First of all, both raw and frozen products are suitable for frying, boiling or stewing. However, the first option is preferable. Pork liver undergoes heat treatment faster than beef liver. On it, as a rule, there are fewer films and lived. But a significant drawback of such a product is that it contains a rather large amount of fat.

The liver of the calf is lean and has a fairly light shade. Its structure is loose. The product obtained from an adult animal is more dense. It requires more heat treatment time. Speaking about how to cook juicy beef liver, it should be noted that first it must be rinsed and cleaned of veins, and then held in milk for about 1 hour. Some cooks advise to sprinkle the product with soda. Then it will be more juicy and soft. In addition, it is recommended to boil the liver for 20 to 40 minutes. However, this period of time may vary. It depends on the age of the animal, the length and thickness of the pieces.

Fry and stew the liver with beef should be from 6 to 10 minutes. Do not exceed the heat treatment time. Otherwise, the product will turn out too dry and hard. Salt the liver a few minutes before the end of cooking. Also put cream and sour cream in it. These components are optional. However, they give the product juiciness and a delicate taste.

Liver cooked with sour cream and onions

The composition of the dish includes the following ingredients:

1. A little salt and ground black pepper.
2. Carrot (1 root vegetable).
3. Half a kilo of beef liver.
4. Bow head.
5. 6 large spoons of high-fat sour cream.

How about this recipe?

This product needs to be rinsed. The veins are removed from it, the films are removed. The liver should be chopped into fragments about 10 millimeters thick. The pieces are placed in a deep bowl with very hot water. Hold for about 5 minutes. Onions and carrots must be peeled and rinsed. The first component is cut into round slices, the second is crushed with a grater.

How to cook soft beef liver? To do this, the surface of the pan must be heated. Put some vegetable fat on it. The liver is cooked on the stove until a golden crust appears. Then the vessel in which the product was fried must be covered with a lid. Stew the dish for 5 minutes. Add some salt and ground pepper to it. Pieces of onion and carrots are also cooked on the stove with vegetable fat. For the sauce, mix sour cream with 2 large tablespoons of very hot water. This gravy is combined with fried vegetables. A little salt and pepper is also put in the bowl.

Cook the sauce on the stove until it starts to boil. Then the gravy is combined with pieces of liver. The dish must be simmered for about five more minutes.

This dish goes well with various side dishes (boiled cereals, potatoes), as well as vegetable salads.

Easy fried liver recipe

The composition of the dish includes the following components:

1. Bow head.
2. 3 large spoons of wheat flour.
3. The same amount of butter in ghee.
4. Half a kilo of beef liver.
5. A little salt and ground black pepper.

This is a pretty simple meal. To make it, the hostess does not need much time. How about this recipe?

This product should be rinsed. Veins are removed from it. The film also needs to be removed. The liver is chopped into small fragments. They need to be covered with a layer of wheat flour. The onion head is cut into semicircular slices. This product should be cooked on a stove with vegetable fat for about 5 minutes. Then fragments of the liver are placed on its surface. The dish is sprinkled with table salt, black pepper. It is cooked on fire for 7 minutes.

Beef liver in mustard sauce

For this savory dish you will need the following ingredients:

1. 3 large spoons of cow butter.
2. A glass of milk.
3. 2 onion heads.
4. Half a small spoon of spices.
5. A little table salt.
6. About 700 grams of beef liver.
7. 2 large spoons of mustard.
8. The same amount of wheat flour.

To cook beef liver according to the recipe with mustard sauce, this product must be washed. It is cleaned of films and tubes, chopped into small fragments. Pieces should be sprinkled with table salt and placed in a bowl with milk for about a quarter of an hour. Wheat flour is combined with spices. The liver should be covered with this mixture and cooked in a frying pan with cow's butter. Then the pre-cut onion is placed in the dish. The dish must be left on the stove for a while. Then it is covered with an even layer of mustard.

After that, the liver must be kept on fire for another two minutes.

Dish with vegetables

The composition of the meal includes the following components:

1. 200 grams of green beans.
2. 3 large spoons of vegetable fat.
3. A little salt and pepper.
4. About a pound of beef liver.
5. Bow head.
6. Carrots (1 root vegetable).
7. Bulgarian pepper.

How to cook beef liver in a pan with vegetables?

To do this, the offal is washed and cleaned. Cut it into small pieces. The onion head should be chopped into semicircular pieces. Carrots are crushed with a grater. Bulgarian pepper should be cut into slices. The liver is cooked on fire with vegetable fat for about 3 minutes. Then it is combined with vegetables. The dish must be stewed. Add some salt and pepper to it. After 10 minutes, the food can be removed from the stove.

Oriental liver products

The meal includes the following:

1. A large spoonful of starch.
2. Bow head.
3. 2 cloves of garlic.
4. Half a small spoonful of curry spice.
5. The same amount of paprika.
6. 3 large spoons of soy sauce.
7. Half a kilo of beef liver.
8. A little table salt.
9. Large spoonful of tomato paste.
10. The same amount of honey in liquid form.

How to cook soft beef liver in a pan according to an oriental recipe?

This is discussed in the next section of the article. In general, the dish is considered quite original and interesting.

Cooking process

Beef liver should be rinsed, cleaned. The offal is chopped into medium-sized strips and beaten off with a hammer. Starch must be combined with table salt, vegetable fat, spices and chopped garlic. The liver is placed in this mixture for about 15 minutes. The onion head is chopped into round slices. Soy sauce should be combined with tomato paste and honey in liquid form. Fragments of the liver are cooked on fire with the addition of vegetable fat. A golden crust should appear on the surface of the pieces. Then put the onion in the bowl and leave it on the stove for 2 minutes. Then the dish is combined with the sauce. You can pour 50 milliliters of hot water. The dish must be stewed for about 7 minutes.

There are many ways to cook beef liver. Recipes and options for dishes are very diverse. The main thing is to follow a number of recommendations in order to choose and process the product correctly. Then it will turn out tasty and will not lose its softness, juiciness and useful qualities.

Many do not like liver dishes, as it often turns out to be tough. It's all about the method of preparation. To make the liver soft and tender, you need to follow only a few rules. With the right preparation, you can make an excellent lunch or dinner out of it.

soft liver recipe

If you do not know how to cook soft liver, then use the following recipe. This dish is quick and easy to make and will delight your entire family. The main secret is to properly process the liver and not overexpose it on fire. How to cook beef liver, you will learn from the recipe.

You will need:

• 1 kg pork or beef liver
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 head of garlic
• Vegetable oil

Cooking method:

1. If necessary, defrost the liver and drain excess water so that the liver is fried rather than stewed.
2. Wash the liver under water, remove the film and bile ducts. This is one of the principles of how to make the liver soft. After cleaning, cut the liver into slices. If the film is difficult to remove, then dip the liver in hot water for about a minute. It is important to completely remove the film, as it becomes tough during the frying process.
3. In addition to the film, it is important to remove the bile ducts, as they can not only add rigidity, but also spoil the taste of the liver, making it bitter.
4. If you want to achieve special tenderness of the finished liver, then soak it in milk for a couple of hours before frying. Milk must be cold. The liver of older animals needs to be soaked longer.
5. The darker the color of the liver, the older the animal was, which means that the liver will be tougher. The liver of young animals will be tender and without soaking in milk.
6. Before putting the liver slices in the pan, roll them in flour. Fry in oil, but not for very long. Two minutes is enough for frying, otherwise the liver will become tough.
7. One of the secrets of how to cook soft liver is a hot frying pan. So the slices will quickly acquire a golden color, and they will not need to be overcooked on fire.
8. After frying, the liver pieces should be put in a deep saucepan, pour sour cream and add garlic. Pour a glass of water into it, pepper and salt to taste. The liver in sour cream should be stewed for 15-20 minutes, but no more, otherwise it will become hard and tasteless. The dish can be served with the resulting sauce and herbs - parsley or dill.