On April 17, 2009, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch hosted an event in Lindsborg, Kans., announcing the definition of heritage chicken. The event included tasting meat of four breeds of heritage chickens. The tasting was divided into a meal (including side dishes) for each season, because different breeds of chickens mature at different rates and the meat is better suited to different uses depending on the maturity of the bird at slaughter.

Here’s an overview of the menu. Some of the recipes are available on the recipe page of the Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch website.

Fall — New Hampshire Red
Fried Chicken
Chicken Osso Buco

Winter — Jersey Giant
Baked Chicken
Tropical Mole’ Chicken

Spring — Cornish (Indian Game)
Cottage Pie
Chicken Soup with Knaidlach

Summer — Plymouth Rock
Pressed Chicken
Chicken Salad

So what’s different about heritage chicken? Everything! The size and shape of the pieces of meat is remarkable; the drumsticks are nearly as long as that of a small turkey. The texture is firmer. It’s similar to tender beef — you can cut it with a fork, but you can’t mash it like industrially raised chicken.

By the way, cooking heritage chicken requires different methods to make it turn out right. In brief, you have to cook it more slowly, at lower temperatures and with more moisture.

It’s more flavorful, even to an untrained, dull palate (such as mine). The meat, regardless of which dish it was used in, tasted great. But the flavor of the broth was dramatic. I’ve tried to make chicken broth from industrial chicken without adding commercial bouillon, but it always ends up flat. The broth from the heritage chicken was wonderful, and I confirmed it was not “fixed up” with bouillon.

Just a few generations ago, people knew how to make stock, braise vegetables, fashion a pie crust, julienne a carrot, debone a chicken and roast a turkey. But a peek into most kitchens today finds clueless cooks — if they are to be found in the kitchen at all! Hopefully, this summer's big screen adaptation of the popular book Julie & Julia will go a long way toward inspiring people to get back to the basics of cooking. But we're curious: What are some culinary skills you'd really like to gain? Are you interested in learning how to use knives with confidence, make homemade pasta, choose the rights cuts of meat or prepare vegetables to their best advantage? Do you wish you could put away more food? Maybe it's time to learn how to can and dry foods, and which foods freeze with ease. Please use the comments section below to expound on which kitchen skills you lack. We want to help!

Are you a fan of pink, grey or brown salt? What about red sea salt or smoked salts? When do you use specialty salts, and why? Got any recipes to share? Here are some of my favorite salts:

* Grey Sea Salt is unrefined, still a bit moist, usually hand-harvested, and contains trace minerals from the sea because it hasn't been processed. And you can really taste the minerals. It's a bit like drinking mineral water, and you'll love it! I always use far less grey sea salt than I would any other kind of salt, because its flavor is pretty potent. One of the best things I ever tasted was half of a baked Kobucha squash, dotted with grey sea salt and cultured butter, and eaten with a spoon! (A brand I really like is Celtic Sea Salt.)

* Gomasio is a mixture of sesame seeds and sea salt, and is a staple in Japanese kitchens. Frequently, I use black sesame seeds and also mix in dried garlic. You can buy gomasio ready-made, or mix your own to save a little money. This is my all-purpose seasoning blend; I use it in just about everything.

* Lemon Zest Salt is a blend I make myself with coarse sea salt and the zest of lemons (or sometimes other citrus fruits, especially grapefruit). The zest perfumes the whole blend, and the flavor is delicate and really just special. My favorite use for lemon salt is over grilled asparagus.

* Herbed Salt is another easy-to-make blend. Finely chop a small amount of herbs, blend with sea salt, and use on anything savory. Fresh rosemary salt is particularly intoxicating.

* Truffle Salt is fine sea salt mixed with ground black (or white) truffles. Even a small quantity of truffles in the blend will perfume the salt heavily. In fact, the aroma just about knocks me over (with ecstasy!) every time I open my jar. I use this precious salt blend over items that are otherwise largely unseasoned. Try it with roasted celery root, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, or over a simple green salad. Again, you can mix your own or buy a ready-made product. Beware the cost of truffles, and remember it doesn't take much!

* Smoked Salt is usually pretty powerful stuff. It may be smoked with different kinds of wood or flavorings. The best one I've come across is Maine Sea Salt Company's Apple-Smoked Salt. It makes roasted new potatoes sing. And if you're lucky enough to live near that company, you could be treated with locally harvested salts with your CSA subscription.

* Cheese Salt is for making cheese. It melts easily and contains no iodine, which could kill the bacteria that you are trying to support in your cheeses. I use it in cheesemaking. It doesn't cost much more than table salt, so it lasts a long time. I get mine from New England Cheesemaking Supply.

* Rock Salt is used for making homemade ice cream (yea!). The briny solution surrounding your ice buckets draws heat away from the ice cream mixture, allowing it to freeze as you churn.

OK, now it's your turn! Please tell us about your favorite salts and how you use them in the comments section below.

Most good cooks rely heavily on a decent chef's knife and a few basic spoons and spatulas. But do you have other specialized kitchen utensils whose absence in your kitchen would incite serious depression? Yea! We want to know about them.

Please post a short report about your favorite kitchen utensils in the comments section below. And if you happen to know a great retail source for obtaining them, do tell.

Photo: ISTOCKPHOTO