Why does beef liver have gristle (tough chewy areas) in it? Is calf liver more tender and better for frying?
By Onesummer
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Actually you can get any beef liver as tender as you want it by soaking it in milk for 30 to 45 minutes before cooking it.
You cut out the grizzle, which isn't grizzle really but the arteries, I used to work in a butcher shop in Germany about 30 years ago, and I cut thousands of pounds of liver in my day.
After soaking the liver in milk (don't soak it too long or it will get too soft and break) coat it in flour, and fry it in oil on medium heat. Frying it too fast and too long will make it dry. After fry take it out and sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and serve with fried onions and stewed apples if you have apples at home(try it one time and you think it's a match made in heaven). Oh my mouth is watering!
Liver is still a very affordable way to get some protein, and if you love it like I do, it is the best meal in the world if prepared right. Prepare it wrong ....and well needless to say your children or husband will never want to try it again. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I have to agree with Miss Angel. My Grandmother used to cook liver in the same way. My favorite liver is lambs liver, which is even more tender than calves liver. Enjoy the above recipe, I know I am going to give it a try with the stewed apples.
If you thin slice it before you cook it (fry) you can remove the tough stuff (gristle, veins, etc.), then do the frying. Also a little mallet banging will make it more tender. That's for any liver.
I do all the above with the milk and flour, but I first fry yellow onions (Spanish Onions) in some olive oil 'til browned lightly, then add liver, and you have quite a meal. Served with a good veggie side dish and salad, yummy.
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I cooked some calf liver and noticed the next day that some of it was a green color. It was well cooked and not expired and had only been in the fridge a few days. Is that normal?
By Lou
Yes it's fine. It just oxidized from all the iron in it. It's perfectly fine to eat its just from the iron.
When I was a child, my Mother raised and butchered her own chickens. The one major concern was not to break the gall bladder which is attached to the liver or it would not only cause a terrible distaste to the meat, but would also cause a greenish discoloring.
I know the gall bladder is attached by tissue to the livers of other animals (including humans), so care is always taken when butchering the animals intended for food not to break the gall bladder for the same reason stated above.
If the meat was fine when you first cooked it, it's probably for the reason suggested by DebbieJean rather than an accident during butchering. I've never seen leftover liver turn green, but I cannot dispute that reasoning as it's a distinct possibility. If it tasted good (not bitter) when it was first cooked, then it's probably the iron causing the discoloring.
I learn something new every day, thank goodness.
Pookarina
I cooked calf liver that was frozen fresh and thawed immediately before cooking. It was deliciious. My leftover liver gained a greenish tint on the parts that were sticking out of the gravy in the tupperware, so i assumed it was from exposure to air.
