Steak and kidney pie info (eating experience)

Ooh, cookie, this is so helpful! Thanx a bunch. Anyone else wanna chime in, feel free.
 
I don't like kidney in anything, I've really tried to get to like it because a really good steak and kidney pie or pudding would be such a treat for my husband.
It's like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. Kidneys have a very distinctive smell and flavour, unpleasant to me but delicious to others. Some people even include fried kidneys in a traditional cooked breakfast. The texture is also distinctive, but I don't mind that. It's sort of smooth but solid. Some people say that it tastes like urine if it's not cleaned properly before cooking!
 
Yeah, I have read that the kidneys absolutely MUST be prepped right or that urine smell/taste can be a real buzzkill.
 
I love kidneys but I'm aware that some don't. Lamb's kidneys are the best as they are more tender and rather less strong tasting than pig's or ox. The flavour is almost edging into the flavour of 'game' with mushroom undertones; savoury, feral and pungent. The texture is firm but quite tender, if properly cooked.

They may either be cooked fast, as in devilled kidneys or slowly, as in steak and kidney pie or pudding. The long cooking mellows their flavour and permeates the dish.
 
thanks, @morning glory. Now, when you say it edges into the flavor of "game," are you equating that with a similar flavor to something like venison? Because that can also have a gamey flavor. And as for the long cooking mellowing its flavor and permeates the dish, are you saying that the kidney is the dominant flavor in the pie because of this?
 
msjhord said:
thanks, @morning glory. Now, when you say it edges into the flavor of "game," are you equating that with a similar flavor to something like venison? Because that can also have a gamey flavor. And as for the long cooking mellowing its flavor and permeates the dish, are you saying that the kidney is the dominant flavor in the pie because of this?
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Venison is quite mild game unless its been aged. I'm thinking more of 'hung' game like pheasant. A bit like pigeon too.
It permeates but doesn't dominate in a steak and kidney pie. Think of a beef stew and add a 'gamey, musky' dimension.
 
Okay, I think I can do that. Thanks so much for all this extra info. I really appreciate it, more than you know.
 
On that note, what does pheasant taste like, as opposed to chicken or turkey?
 
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