Do I need to boil kidneys? I was just speaking to someone in the sci-fi chat today when the subject of kidneys came up:


  Kidneys aren't "bad" in that they have the consistency and taste of muscle/meat... but they're very bitter even after having been prepared. I think you're supposed to boil them.


I've never had boiled kidneys before, nor do I intend to. But the poster of that comment also mentioned that I should Think about what's in kidneys for a moment.

So here I am to ask, should I be boiling them to get rid of their previous contents or are they safe to fry etc?
It's perfectly safe to eat kidneys unwashed. But almost nobody enjoys smelling ammonia, urea or nitrogenous wastes in general when eating food.

You can boil them to remove that taste.

But a better alternative is to leave them covered with salt in a colander (so what everybody thinks there's in kidneys for a moment  will fall off). Leave there for about two hours, and then rinse them with water with vinegar.



Source: I asked a nephrologyst who prepares one of the best Riñones al Jerez (in English kidneys in Sherry) I've ever tasted.