How to make chicken liver less explosive?
I like fried chicken livers with onions quite a bit, and they are very quick and easy to make... unfortunately quick and easy doesn't translate to safe.
These livers explode HARD. And of course they splash big globs hot oil/fat everywhere as result. The splash guard is the obvious solution for the main part, except for when I need to flip/stir them, avoiding burns is a challenge. Even when reheating them in microwave they explode, splattering bits of liver and onion all over the oven.
Any tips how to contain their explosive nature?
Best Answer
You have a few options to lower their explosiveness:
- Pierce the skin, like you do before baking a potato.
- Lower your frying temperature can help a bit, but you'll probably always need to use a temperature higher than the boiling point to get any kind of crisping action.
- Dehydrate the liver a bit before frying. You could use a dehydrator, a low-and-slow oven bake or a low temperature, low oil sauté to get them to release their juices (like you do for browning some mushrooms). I don't know which of these will work best for liver, but naturally you'll lose a little bit of the final juiciness.
You mention the splash guard, which I can't recommend enough. These numbers are cheap and easy to find.
But you can also protect your hands directly. I recommend something articulated, like this pair of silicon mold Storm Trooper styled oven mitts from Think Geek:
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How do you keep chicken livers from splattering?
However, the livers won`t splatter or burst if you: (1) cover them with wax paper and (2) use medium (50 percent) power. The wax paper holds in enough of the heat and moisture for even cooking, but not as much as tight plastic wrap, which would make the livers cook too quickly.How do you keep chicken livers from popping while frying?
To prevent (or at least reduce) popping and possible burns, puncture the livers before frying. I use a cooking fork and poke away, puncturing each liver at least 5 or 6 times. Then follow the recipe as written.Why do you soak chicken livers in milk?
Soak the liver: soaking the chicken liver in milk gets rid of the metallic taste that sometimes people dislike. If you have no milk, soaking in water will work also, but not as well. You might want to do this if you're sensitive to the taste.How do I make my liver milder?
Some livers, like chicken livers, are mild enough to be cooked without any additional preparation. But beef liver, being from a larger animal, can be quite strong in flavor. There are ways however to diminish the strength of liver flavor by soaking it in whole milk (raw preferred!), apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice.Breville Presents Chicken Liver Pâté- \
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