It's funny the things you know for certain tasted awful when you were a kid, and yet you love them when you're an adult. Your tastebuds clearly change as you get older. I wonder if it's time I tried liver again too. :) Thanks for the recipe, Elise.

Great idea. Also, put a few drops of good vinegar on the liver as it cooks. The sour taste of the vinegar moderates and enhances the taste of the liver. I think that's the element ketchup adds, but without sugar. Serve the liver with sauteed onions, right?

We ate liver and onions at lest once a month. We would fry up bacon and saute it with the onions. I love liver and onions and still do. But you're right, you do need to get range fed beef.
Donna A.

Here is my great liver recipe: Take thinly-sliced liver and cut into 1/4 inch julienned strips. Toss strips in seasoned flour (salt and pepper). Keep strips separate and dry until all strips are coated with the flour. Put half butter and half olive oil into a skillet and heat to sizzling (do not burn this). Take small batches of the coated liver strips and quickly cook, on both sides. Because you will do this in small batches, remove each completed batch to a flat platter until all liver strips have been cooked. After all liver has been cooked, remove excess butter/oil from skillet. Place all cooked liver strips back into the skillet, and on high heat, standing there with a spatula, turn the liver quickly as you sprinkle red wine vinegar over all. Turn onto serving platter. Sprinkle top with a little chopped parsley. Serve with hot, crusty French or Italian bread.

I just read the comment on the liver and onions. It brought back great memories of my childhood. The only way I would eat my liver was to douse it with ketchup. Well, that has carried over into my adult life. I have eaten liver & onions without the ketchup, but it just tastes so much better with it. I think I'll fix this for dinner tonight.

The dinner scene you describe could have come right from my childhood. My dad loves liver and onions and my mom made it often. If we didn't like what was offered, we were allowed to have "bread and milk" which I loathed more than almost any other thing you could eat. Mushy bread in milk. Yuck. Although my mom made wonderful homemade bread, completely by hand, and at the time I didn't fully appreciate it.

I grew up in a nursing home (yes.. REALLY...) and we served this at least once a month. Since we had to make so much (for 45 people), Nyda would cook the onions in bacon grease, then quickly brown the liver in batches until all were lightly browned. She would then put the whole mess in the oven on a low temperature for about half an hour. Sometimes (to change it up) she'd add cream of mushroom soup over it all. It was fantastic. Even as a child I loved liver and onions.

Elise,

I used to love the way my mom liver and onions. She used to fry bacon and then brown the onions and liver in the bacon grease, only she would leave several pieces of bacon in there also. She always served it with homemade mashed potatoes. When I started making family dinners while my mom worked, I made liver and onions and never ate it again. The bloody liver just grossed me out. Sorry for the visual! I may try again sometime. Thanks for the memories!

Buttermilk!!! Try soaking the liver for at least a half hour (and up to two hours) in buttermilk before dredging in seasoned flour and frying. The buttermilk removes any strong taste and makes the liver taste absolutely tender and delicious.

Also, my Mother always made rice to go with our dish of liver and onions. When the liver and onions was done, she made a pan gravy out of the drippings...it was PERFECT over rice and on the liver and onions too.

I actually like liver and onions and would clamour for it as a child, much to the disgust of my aunts and cousins. Made me my grandmother's pet though. I have not had this in ages. It's now making me want to revisit an old favourite.

Just recently found your site, which I am enjoying very much!

One HUGE secret, alluded to by another commentor above, is that if you want the best flavor, it must be paper thin! Accomplish this by purchasing your liver whole in one piece and freezing it...then thaw it partially...and carve off paper thin slices. My parents learned this accidently when Mom forgot to thaw it for dinner one time...and it was done thus forever after. They floured it and fried it in butter...it only takes a few seconds at the right heat to fry liver this thin...then it tastes out of this world. I always thought the liver fixed in thick slices was rather bitter...but it is only sweet when cooked this method. My folks could not eat onions or much spice, so we ate it with salt on it alone. We LOVED it...all 4 of us kids! It was one of our favorite meals!

Oh, I have always loved liver and onions, and always will! My mother used to make it for breakfast occasionally -- I would not eat much of anything when I was a kid, so incredibly picky, and she knew this was one sure-fire way to get me to have a decent breakfast.

(Plus when I was a baby, the only baby foods I'd eat were strained liver and strained beets. I dunno; me and liver were just meant to be, I guess. *g*)

Thanks for the post -- really took me back.

Liver and onion is a personal fav!

Unfortunately, I think my wife had bad experiences with it as a kid (most likely of the overcooked variety, yech!). So now I only get it when we go out to eat. The best place to get it is at a good greasy spoon. This is one of those dishes that excels in any good diner.

A good memory from childhood is chicken livers with onions server (of course) with out-of-the box Kraft mac and cheese. The perfect comfy food.

I've always loved liver and will just echo the *thinly sliced* sentiment as being one of the most important elements in calves liver! Think thin!!

I make my liver and onions by sauteing the onions with bacon first. I don't use flour or coating of any kind. After the bacon starts to cook I add the liver and cover it. I do turn the liver, bacon and onions several times to make sure the liver is done and the onions don't burn. By keeping the lid on (preferably a clear one) the liver stays tender. I will even use full grown organic beef liver and just add a little more bacon and onions to keep it from tasting too overbearing. I've actually not had too many complaints from my family when I fix it that way.

We also had liver & oinions growing up & loved it & still do, I still buy and make it every now and then. My husband said he'd tried before & did not like it but he likes the way I make it & actually asks me to make it, when its been a while.

Maybe its because my family hails from South America, that these recipes only have similarities to the way I cook it, but basically they're the same.

I season the strips with garlic salt, cut oinions and bell peppers in rolls. Layer the pan with onions, then the bell peppers, then the liver, onions again & finally bell peppers again. I cover it with a lid, let it cook on medium low, 10 minutes, uncover, flip the liver, cover & cook another 5-10 minutes. My liver always comes out tender and juicy. Once in a while I leave it on too long and it dries up but then the onions and peppers are infused with flavor.
UMMmm yummy.

Jeez, tomorrow's Ash Wednesday and I'm giving up meat for Lent. You've created a craving for liver and onions and now I have to wait till Easter to make it. My kids are really going to be surprised when they show up for our Easter meal. I grew up on a farm in the 50s and my mother made liver and onions the same way. We raised Angus cattle and butchered our own beef. When we butchered, my mom always made liver and onions on butchering day. Fresh liver has an altogether better taste than what you can get in the store.

Hi everyone, thanks for all the great ideas! I love the concept of soaking the liver in buttermilk. And freezing before carving? Perfect. We do get our liver already cut, but I can imagine that would be useful.

Hi Aardvarknav - giving up meat for all of Lent? That's commendable. We only give it up on Ash Wednesday itself. OMG, I can't imagine serving Liver and Onions for Easter; your kids are going to love that. And I can only fantasize about how fresh liver must taste. Does anyone even know how to butcher any more? The last butcher we had in this neighborhood went out of business 25 years ago.

I actually prefer ~beef~ liver. For its ~stronger~ taste!! :-)

This recipe is EXACTLY as I remember liver and onions being cooked in my family.

As a child, my parents told us that we were having "Special Steak" for supper (it was cheap! :) - and of course we knew and loved steak, so in our minds, we fell for it -thinking it was "special"- and therefore grew up loving liver. It wasn't until I was a teen that I found the empty package in the trash and read the label... I had been fooled my entire childhood!

To this day my siblings and I still love liver, and much to the disgust of our many friends who have never even tried it!!

Guaranteed - someday I WILL tell my own children that "we're having Special Steak for dinner tonight!"

Thanks for this jaunt down memory lane... and the recipe too. :)

What you call "liver and onions" is a typical Venetian recipe, called "fegato alla veneziana".

Great recipe. Remember DO NOT OVERCOOK the liver. Also, I find that drizzling an ample amount of fresh lemon juice on the liver as it fries really enhances the flavor.

Great recipe. However, here in Croatia we also like to combine veal liver with veal kidneys. The kidneys should be sliced very thin and sauteed prior to the liver. Remember to soak the kidneys overnight in milk to neutralize a possible agressive smell. Heavy cream may be added towards the end to make a nice sauce to accompany pasta or various dumplings. This recipe may sound disgusting, but in fact it is very good. Enjoy!

Many years ago, a Croatian friend who cooked at a group home, gave me some liver and onions. Up until that time I would never even try it, but I decided to this time. I was amazed! I loved it! I just had to have her recipe and technique for cooking it.

She said that she takes thinly sliced beef liver and soaks it in milk. This gives it a milder taste. She then dredges it in flour with freshly ground pepper in the flour. DO NOT USE SALT! This will toughen the liver. Add after cooked. Cut bacon into 1" pieces (lots if you like it) and slice some onions. Cook the bacon and onions in a hot skillet until bacon is cooked and onions are translucent. Drain off the grease and place in a bowl. Leaving some of the bacon drippings in the frying pan and making sure your frying pan is hot, place the strips of liver in and brown. Try not to turn the liver too many times. Sometimes it is best to lower the heat. Cook until well cooked. Add onions and bacon back to the pan and just heat with the liver for a few minutes. Serve hot....MMMMMMmmmm Delicious.

I used to get bloody noses pretty much every day as a child. My folks, alarmed at the loss of so much blood, consulted the family doctor who prescribed as much iron as my body would hold. Raisins and pruned were okay, at least they were sweet, but the canned spinach I wouldn't touch (it was in the mid-1960's and you couldn't get fresh). In order to fulfill the doctor's orders, we ended up having liver and onions every single week, and I didn't have any choices about eating it. I think I probably used half a bottle of ketchup all by my 5-year-old self in order to choke down my allotted serving of liver. Sorry, the recipes and reactions all sound delicious, but this is one I will never revisit.

Just looking for tips on cooking beef liver, cos my wife said "You have to be real careful cooking liver... " when I said I'd like to make some L&O.

Good tips abound here!

Funny thing is, I always liked L&O as a kid, looked forward to it with great relish.*

Hmmm, I think I'll take off on one of the vinegar suggestions and briefly marinate the liver I hope to pick up today (Scottish Highlands free range beef) in some balsamic vinegar before coating and frying. I'll try to remember to come back and comment on how it turns out.

;-)

*Note: my tastes have always been a tad on the offbeat side, though. I even like the aroma of skunk... *heh*

Update: Used Balsamic vinegar to briefly marinate the liver, then used your recipe.

I did NOT use calves liver, but instead used some "organic" range-fed Scottish Highland beef liver. SUPER mild! As good as or better than calves liver (and NO issues with added chemicals or hormones).

I have eaten liver and onion since I can remember and now I feed it to my kids. I sauté the onions in butter and then I flour the liver pieces and also cook them in the butter. On the side, I cook gravy and mashed potatoes and some sort of veggie. My kids never seem to complain about it

I was raised on liver and onions once a month, too. It wasn't until I became an adult that I was introduced to something better than calf liver.... venison or elk liver, cooked fresh for dinner on the same day it's harvested! If you are lucky enough to get fresh wild game liver you'll be spoiled forever. The only thing you need to be careful of is that your animal is healthy and you clean and inspect the liver very well before eating. You can be certain that wild game has no hormones or antibiotics but it also was never exposed to chemical wormers!

Note from Elise: Hi Kate, thanks for sharing your tip on venison or elk liver. Kinda gross, but still useful to know. :-)

Liver and onions is a great favourite at my house, too! Unfortunately, I have a problem getting hold of baby beef (calves) liver. My father said to try Lamb's liver....Wow! Always tender and a milder flavour. Funnily enough, I can always get the lamb's liver easier than calves liver!
Also, I brown the floured liver first in butter, take it out of the pan, then add the onions to the pan with a cup of wine (red or white). I then put the liver back in the pan, on top of the onions, cover, and simmer till the onions soften. Always tender this way, even with calves liver.
By the way, I love this site for all the wonderful and easy recipes posted. Reading the comments section is a must too, as I learn so many new ways of cooking from everyone. Thanks

I grew up on a farm, and we had liver regularly as a little child, but none of us liked it, so Mom quit making us eat it (as she didn't care for it either - just Dad) I just fed this recipe to my 22 month old and my 3 1/2 (almost 4) year old, and they loved it! The only thing I did different was soak it in milk before I cooked it to make it less strong. Of course, I didn't forget the ketchup! :) Delicious. Thanks.

Just wanted to say...Liver 'n Onions has always been a favorite of mine....Am eating it as I write this!!! I especially enjoy deer hunting and getting deer liver! If anyone that I hunt with, doesn't want their's I snag it!! I love it too! Nothin beats the way my mom fixed it, but mine is a pretty tasty 2nd to her's. Mine is basic....plenty of onions, butter, Mr's Dash table blend, extra pepper, flour and water....slow cooked covered pan to save as many tasty juices as possible....

Well I am the odd ball out of the group I have always loved liver and onions (Since Birth) especially with corn. I sopp the plate and bowl. Then again I always loved the burnt part of the mac and cheese and the burnt part of the ham. (When I ate Pork). But this really helped me because I didn't have gravy master and this turned out well even though I skipped the bacon part. Plus this is the first time I have ever breaded my liver so this was a great help. Thanks for the recipe.

Just wanted to add to the ideas of spicing up your liver. I too as a kid had liver&onions 1x month. Mom's secret was to take her drippings from frying the flour/salt/pepper coated calves liver in bacon grease and adding sherry. She would make a sauce with the grease, flour, browned drippings return the liver to the cast iron skillet. Yumm. Wish she was still around to share this herself.