The liver does not appeal to everyone. Unfortunately, the delicious innards are quite sensitive and must be processed quickly. With a few tips and tricks, you can extend the shelf life of the liver by freezing it properly, so you can enjoy it for longer.
Popular And healthy
The liver is the most popular and well-known offal in Germany. Of all animal foods, the liver contains the most minerals and vitamins. Be it vitamins A, B1, B2, C, or D, you will find them in the liver, some even in particularly high concentrations. For this very reason, the preparation time should be as short as possible so that the nutrients are preserved. The liver is also always in focus because of its harmful heavy metal content. Lead, mercury and cadmium are found in the liver as it is a detoxifying and filtering organs. That spoiled the appetite for some of the innards. But don’t worry. You have to eat large amounts of offal every day for there to be any risk to your health.
Freeze liver properly
The liver is very delicate and can spoil quickly. You either process them quickly or just freeze them. Freezing increases the durability of the liver quite a bit. This is quite simple.
- It is best to use fresh liver for freezing.
- First, you skin the liver and remove the tendons. To make this process easier, you can either put the liver in hot water beforehand or simply wash it off with it.
- Place the liver on paper towels or a towel to drain excess liquid.
- Now place the liver in a fresh, clean freezer bag or airtight container and label it with the current date. That way you always know when you’ve frozen the liver.
- Now you can freeze the fresh liver. You now always have a supply of liver for a maximum of one month.
- If you want to thaw the liver again, simply place it in the fridge overnight. But thawing in a warm water bath for about six hours is also an option.
- Once thawed, the liver should not be refrozen. It is better to freeze them in portions that suit you and you will have some of them for a long time.
- Note that thawed liver tends to taste a bit harsher and flourier than fresh. This makes it perfect for liver dumplings and liver pies.
Tip: If you want to freeze fresh beef liver, soak it in milk for an hour before freezing. As a result, it loses some of its strong taste.
Freeze prepared liver?
Unfortunately, freezing fried liver is not recommended. By heating twice, the fried liver can become tough as leather after freezing and heating and would no longer be enjoyable for you and your guests. So it is better not to freeze the fried liver and rather process it with delicious fried potatoes. For this, we have the right recipe for fried liver grandma’s style.
If you want to freeze breaded liver, you have to be aware that freezing can change the quality and structure of the innards. The liver can become harder in consistency and mealy in taste. If that doesn’t bother you, you can also freeze breaded liver.