Liver at 74 degrees: Stir-fry

Among the densest sources of iron and vitamin A in the food supply — and among the strongest-flavoured. Freshness decides everything: the best pieces need only salt and sesame oil raw. Because vitamin A stacks up quickly, this is a cut to eat occasionally rather than often. Raw liver only from a trusted same-day source. When cooking, take it until the red centre is gone; a twenty-minute milk soak softens the edge of the flavour.

Vitamin-dense; buy bright and springy the day you cook. Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Stir-fry.” Use 74 degrees and 74 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat.

Cook Liver to 74 degrees and serve it as “Stir-fry.” The other figure to watch is 74. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. Bright cherry colour with a slight sheen and spring. Avoid dark, dull or waterlogged pieces. A cut’s grain comes from how much the muscle worked. Liver needs heat through to 74 degrees before “Stir-fry” makes sense. 74 is a stage of that heat, not a luxury score. The same cut becomes a stew, a grill, or a braise, so a steak minute does not cover a pot. Thick connective tissue wants time, not a hard sear alone. This is not medical advice.