interesting English connection with the kidneys and thanks for your comment and for finding our blog. I only ever ate kidneys in a steak and kidney pie in England, and it took a trip to France before I ever, knowingly ate them in any other form.

My research suggests that using milk to neutralize the pissy smell is, and has been for years in poorer parts where they eat kidneys, a tried and tested technique. I can find no reference for actually why it happens but investigation of http://www.vidagest.com - a kidney cleansing pill - suggests that since kidneys normally absorb many of the mineral nutrients your body needs - potassium, calcium, sodium,magnesium, phosphorus - at least some of which occur in sizable quantity in milk, kidneys might absorb milk because its constituent parts are absorbed naturally. And, since the kidney removes excess salt from the bloodstream and replaces it with nutrients, is it not possible that replacing uric salt with good stuff neutralizes the stink?

Of course, this is all my idea. I’m no scientist, but it makes sense to me. Your thoughts are welcome, since I could be making all this up!