This year on My Kitchen Rules, liver has been a popular protein choice during the Instant Restaurant rounds.
First, it appeared in Sheridan and Ted’s menu, where they served a chicken liver parfait for entree with milk bread and red wine gel. The judges thought it had a delicious texture but was under-seasoned and lacked flavour.
Then Harrison and Oliver dished up Venetian liver and onion ravioli – a twist on an old-school classic. It was a big success, with Colin saying it was a beautiful-tasting dish.
But while liver seems to be having a resurgence on My Kitchen Rules this season, it has always been controversial and divided opinion. While some people love it, others find it totally offal!
Would you order liver if you saw it on a restaurant menu?
We asked our readers and the results were surprisingly divided.
A majority of 53% said, in one way or another, that they would not eat liver, while 47% said they would. Almost a 50-50 split!
But the surrounding context is where it gets interesting.
Arguments for liver
Many people said they’d happily order liver if they spotted it on a menu and a common reason was because of nostalgia and appetite for old-school dishes.
Marilyn said “lambs fry and bacon was one of my favourite dinners when I was a kid.”
Anne shared that she “ate it every month for nine months, each of the four times I was pregnant. Have ordered it a couple of times off the menu.”
And for many, while they enjoy eating it, they only trust it when made by their family.
Karen shared, “Nope … ordered it once, lesson learned … no one does it better than mum.”
Arguments against liver
On the flip side, for some people, the dislike of liver was also heavily driven by childhood memories.
Sarah shared she had a negative experience with liver as a child and she would never eat it again. “Not after being forced to eat it as a child. So gross.”
Jan also said “most older people have been subjected to overcooked liver, probably by their mums/grandmas – and yes it was vile.”
But perhaps the biggest problem for liver is solely the fact that it’s… well, liver. It hasn’t had the best publicity.
“I fed it to my family once. They all loved it till they knew what it was,” Claire said.
What is the best way to cook liver?
One argument was the success of liver comes down to how it’s cooked and more importantly, what it’s served with.
The undisputed favourite was lambs fry with bacon, onions, gravy and mash. It was described as the ultimate comfort food.
Other people shared their own twists, with Natasha saying she’d eat it with “bacon and gravy and mushrooms on toast”. Nella said she serves it with “bacon, onion, tomatoes and even zucchini”.
But readers agreed that the most palatable way many eat liver, and the gateway for even the haters, was as a pâté or parfait. Many wouldn’t order liver itself, but if it’s hidden within a dish they’d eat it.
Are Aussies eating more liver than they used to?
Yes, Australians are eating more liver. Offal and organ meat consumption is experiencing a notable comeback after decades of decline.
But even if you’re not heading to the local butcher to pick up raw liver for some home cooking, liver is a common and popular choice in at least two everyday dishes that Australians regularly enjoy.
Chicken liver pâté (often called a parfait) is a common feature on restaurant menus, on charcuterie and cheese boards, and is sold in pre-made in jars at specialty grocers and butchers.
Most meat-eating Aussies today, possibly without realising it, will also enjoy liver as an essential component of popular Vietnamese banh mi rolls.
So, is liver back? We asked our food editor
Better Homes and Gardens food editor, Sarah Murphy shares why she thinks liver is back in the spotlight.
“It’s such a nostalgic ingredient and one that would remind many people of their grandparents’ cooking. With the growing interest in nose-to-tail cooking, reducing food waste and making the most of affordable ingredients, it’s easy to see why it’s back in the spotlight,” Sarah said.
“Liver has a beautiful richness and depth of flavour and when cooked well, it can really elevate a dish. It’s certainly a bold choice for MKR contestants and a great way to stand out. After all, we’re talking about it more than almost any other ingredient they’ve used!”
Try a classic BHG liver recipe from the 1970s
Zesty liver fondue
from the BHG archive
We have been back through the Better Homes and Gardens archives to find a recipe that uses the nutritionally rich yet always divisive organ meat.
We found a vintage recipe from the October 1979 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and it sounds… intriguing: zesty liver fondue – would you give it a try?
