Safe Chicken Liver?
Are chicken livers safe to eat cooked slightly pink? Is "chopped liver" safe when using schmaltz as an ingredient?
Best Answer
That depends. What does the texture of the inside pink portion look like? Does it still look like it's raw liver? Or does it look and have the texture of the rest of the cooked liver, but slightly pink? If the latter, it is probably safe to eat.
The pink colour in meat is given by myoglobin. When myoglobin is heated it loses its structure and changes colour, which is how many people tell doneness.
However, you're talking about the liver, which contains a lot more myoglobin than normal cuts of meat, and even after cooking may have residual myoglobin that hasn't been denatured.
Here's a thread with more discussion on the topic of cooking chicken livers for pate (which seems to be what you're doing)
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/142171-under-cooked-chicken-liver-pate-and-food-poisoning
As for your second question, I don't see why using schmaltz would make your chopped liver unsafe. Are you worried about the salmonella? Schmaltz is fat that has been already rendered, so any germs it contains would likely already have been killed off, and as long as it was stored properly there should be no problems with food safety.
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Quick Answer about "Safe Chicken Liver?"
Chicken liver dishes should be consumed only after being cooked throughout to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C). Additionally, chicken liver should be handled carefully to prevent cross-contamination.Are chicken livers safe to eat?
Chicken livers can be a great source of healthy proteins as long as you don't cook them with too much fat and salt. liver is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat because it contains protein, vitamins, and minerals.Can you get sick from chicken liver?
But Campylobacter is a type of bacteria that can live inside chicken liver. If the middle isn't cooked to 165\xb0F, bacteria can survive and cause illness. U.S. outbreaks from eating undercooked chicken liver are on the rise.Is chicken liver poisonous?
Poultry livers carry a particularly high risk of Campylobacter as the bacteria can be present throughout the liver, not just the surface as is the case for other poultry meat, and may remain a source of infection if they are not cooked sufficiently.Can you eat chicken liver a little pink?
Livers should be cooked until they are no longer bloody in the core. Colour is not a reliable indicator of effective cooking. Studies have shown that liver tissue can remain pink after it has reached a safe temperature (see figure 2).Chicken Liver BENEFITS! (+ 2 Easy and Delicious Chicken Liver Recipes)
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