Why it works: Liver and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 28% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,418 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Fried Liver
Ingredients
Directions
Slice the liver and soak it in cold water with salt to draw out the blood.
Optionally, place it over low heat until it turns white.
Remove the liver, roll each piece in flour or bread crumbs, and season.
Heat lard in a pan, add the liver, cover, and cook slowly until tender.
Uncover and fry quickly until browned.
Alternatively, pour boiling water over the liver for a few moments before proceeding.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Liver + flourtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,418 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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