Articles

By: Rabbi Sholem Fishbane
cRc Kashrus Administrator

When purchasing liver in a kosher supermarket or butcher, one must first verify that even though the liver is kosher, the liver has also been properly kashered to remove the blood from within. Kashering liver is a unique process and requires special training and practice. Here are the cRc guidelines for kashering liver.

1) Upon receiving the livers, any blood collected in the bag or container should be spilled out to avoid the livers sitting in the blood for 24 hours.

If they are frozen, care should be taken that they should not sit defrosting in their own blood for more than 24 hours. Frozen livers should be completely thawed out before the broiling begins.

Once they are defrosted, care should be taken that they should be kashered within 72 hours of the defrosting.

2) In dealing with beef or calf livers, after all the fats are removed, deep crisscross cuts should be made horizontally and vertically in the livers. Alternatively, the livers may be cut into slices. Wash the knife with cold water after the crisscross cutting or any cutting of raw livers.

In dealing with chicken livers, there is no need to cut them but one must make sure the gall bladder has been removed.

3) Wash the liver after cutting them.

4) Lightly salt the livers on both sides. The amount of salt used should be at least enough that would give it a good taste. The salting should take place immediately before kashering because the salt will bring out the blood and the livers should not sit in their blood.

5) A separate grill or other cRc approved heating device (i.e. a dedicated toaster) should be used.

One should make sure that the catch basin that collects the blood during the kashering is not too close to the livers, so that the blood does not come into contact with them.

The livers may be lying on top of each other or touching each other during the kashering. In the case of beef or calf livers, the cuts should lie face down during the kashering.

If the heating device only has a fire on the bottom, the livers should be turned over with a non-kosher utensil. To be considered kosher, the livers need to be at least 2/3 completely broiled.

6) Once kashered, care should be taken not to use a non-kosher fork during their removal. A dedicated fork should be used exclusively for their removal.

When finished, the livers must be rinsed off three times in cold water and they then may be sauted or cooked. If three days have passed between the defrosting and the kashering of the livers, one should refrain from sauting or cooking them further. They may be eaten in their broiled state only.

All utensils, including catch pans, forks, grates, etc., must be treated as non-kosher and should be used exclusively for kashering livers. These utensils may not be washed with any other utensils nor may they be washed in the same sink where kosher utensils are washed.