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 ↓
Liver and Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the bacon
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy.
Remove the bacon and set aside.
Make the liver and sauce
In the bacon fat, add the liver and cook until browned on both sides.
Sprinkle flour over the liver and stir to coat.
Gradually add boiling water, stirring to create a sauce.
Simmer until the liver is cooked through and the sauce thickens.
Serve
Serve the liver topped with the crispy bacon.
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
What each ingredient does
- Liver
- Provides the main body of the dish and browns to a rich, savory flavor.
- Bacon fat
- Carries heat for browning the liver and adds smoky, savory flavor.
- Flour
- Coats the liver and thickens the pan liquid into a sauce as it simmers.
- Bacon
- Adds crispness and smoky, salty flavor as a topping.
The step that matters
Simmer until the liver is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Liver overcooks quickly and becomes tough and grainy, so it should be checked for doneness. Simmering gently lets the flour-thickened liquid thicken smoothly without scorching.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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