Questions often arise about the safety of poultry liver, relating to the various liver colors and storage instructions before cooking. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, normal livers range in color from tan to mahogany red to yellow. Color variations of livers have nothing to do with the age or condition of the liver. It is important to handle livers safely. Never thaw livers on a counter. There are three safe ways to thaw a liver: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. How you thaw the liver will determine how long you store it.

Put on disposable gloves when handling liver.

Insert the liver into the disposable zippered storage bag. Check to make sure the bag does not have a leak. This is to ensure that the liver does not leak onto other items in the refrigerator and contaminate them.

Place the bag into a glass bowl if you thawed the livers in the refrigerator along with the poultry. Place the bowl in the bottom of the refrigerator, where the temperature is most likely to be the coldest. Check the refrigerator's temperature. The temperature should read 40 degrees F or below for a safe temperature for liver.

Store the liver in the refrigerator for one to two days before cooking.

Cook the liver immediately if you thawed it in the microwave or in cold water. Liver thawed by these two methods cannot be safely stored in a refrigerator.