Beef liver is an incredibly healthy product. This is known to adults and children. But not everyone is ready to regularly eat the liver or do it often. The product does not always turn out tasty, sometimes it comes out very dry, bitter, does not chew. Why is this happening, what is the mistake?
Why is the liver bitter?
Bitterness causes bile, which is located in the liver. It doesn’t have to be torn, spread. An unpleasant taste appears without it. Pork liver bitter more, so it is half the price. Some people believe that beef liver cannot be bitter. This is actually not the case. Before cooking, it is important to soak the product.
What can be used:
- milk;
- plain or salted water;
- sweet tea.
Traditionally, the liver is steeped in milk. But after that it cannot be used for other dishes, and the product itself is not cheap. As practice shows, bitterness also goes well into water or tea. The liver is cut, filled with cold (this is important) liquid, soaked for at least an hour. Then rinse the pieces.
Why is the liver dry and hard
The liver does not tolerate prolonged heat treatment. Unlike meat, the longer the product is cooked, the tougher it will be. For beef liver, roasting and stewing is preferable to cooking. If you still need to boil the product, for example, for a salad, then you should run it in boiling water. All liquids and sauces are also added hot, it is undesirable to create temperature differences.
If you just need to fry the liver in pieces, then it is lowered into the hot oil. You can first beat off lightly or bread in flour. Pieces are prepared for 2-3 minutes on each side. Next you need to check. If there is no sucrose inside, then the offal is ready.
An important nuance! The liver loves fats. Therefore, it is prepared with a large amount of oil or added to stew sour cream, mayonnaise. You can use milk, but in it the product is much drier. Even harder is the liver in tomato or tomato.
Why the liver does not chew
It happens that beef liver does not seem to be dry, but it is difficult to chew. Most often, the reason is in the films. You need to arm yourself with a sharp knife and carefully remove them. All films cannot be removed; the largest ones need to be separated as far as possible. The vessels and veins that are found also need to be removed. Only after this should the liver be soaked and cooked.
The second reason for stiffness is low quality offal. The liver does not like freezing. It is advisable to purchase a chilled product. You should immediately examine it. There should not be any spots and dried crusts on the surface. If you press on a fresh liver, then the fossa will immediately recover. If the liver is still frozen, then thaw it in the refrigerator, placing it on the lower shelf. You can immediately pour water, let it be soaked with bitterness.
Why does the liver not toast
If you want to cook a beautiful and rosy fry, then the liver is cut into pieces no more than 1.5 cm thick. In this case, the lid is not needed, they prepare the product in an open pan. It is quickly browned, at the very end they are salted and sent to a plate. But you can season the finished dish.
Why the liver is not fried:
- The fat is not warm enough or is not enough. You can cook a dietary liver without oil, but in this case you should not expect a golden crust.
- A lot of moisture. Before cutting, the liver needs to be dried with napkins. Sometimes pieces are rolled in flour, starch, which can also be done.
- Lots of liver. If you immediately put a large number of offal in the pan, juice will appear, the crust will not be able to form.
- The liver was fried for a long time. The liver is boiled for 12-15 minutes, and even less is fried. Small pieces are enough for 2-2.5 minutes on each side. It is necessary to have time to turn over on time, not to overdry.
If you plan to fill the liver with cream or sour cream, then you need to fry even less and be sure to over high heat. Sauce ingredients are heated separately. All together stewed no more than ten minutes.
Helpful advice! If you need to fry the liver with onions, then first prepare a chopped vegetable with large strips until transparent, only then add chopped offal to it, not vice versa.
Why the liver smells bad
Sometimes the liver smells bad or stinks frankly. You need to understand what kind of smell. There are two main reasons: it smells like the animal itself (that is, a cow or a bull, sometimes dung) or the product began to disappear. After buying or thawing, the liver must be washed in order to remove the smell of the animal. Sometimes when cold, it is not noticeable, but reveals when frying. Unpleasant aroma will go away when soaked, like bitterness.
How to soak the liver from smell:
- in a solution of potassium permanganate;
- in a solution of mustard powder;
- in a decoction of lemon peels;
- in water with salt.
Much worse, if the liver smells of rot, the spoilage process has begun. In this case, the product is dangerous to use. But it is advisable to simply inspect it. Very often, it is not the liver itself that disappears, but the donut at the bottom of the tray. In this case, you need to cut a piece, examine it inside, smell it, touch it outside. If stickiness, light plaque and other signs of deterioration are not found, then the product can be prepared. It is still advisable to hold it a little in a weak solution of manganese.
If the liver is stiff: how to fix it
If the liver is already cooked and turned out hard, then it is very difficult to fix it. In no case should you further extinguish or cook it. Long processing only worsens the product.
What can be done from a tough liver:
- Pate. To do this, separate onions with carrots separately, grind with the liver, add butter. You can beat with a blender or twist the product several times through a meat grinder. Spices to taste.
- Stuffing. The liver can be twisted and combined with potatoes or stewed cabbage. Get a good filling for pies or pancakes.
- Finely chop, pour sour cream, warm a little. The product must soak the liver. If desired, sour cream can be mixed with soy sauce.
As you can see, there are ways to resuscitate a hard and dry liver, but they are not always effective. Nevertheless, it is better to cook the product according to the rules: soak, remove films, closely monitor the process and do not overtake on fire. Then it will turn out in the best possible way!
