We talk a lot here about food and technology–about advances in gadgetry that are bringing modern miracles to kitchens already overstuffed with alchemy and transubstantiation, techniques that are changing the way we think about food, science being done in service to dinner and, of course, robots.Yesterday, we had more goodies from the Modernist Cuisine kitchen and laboratory–super slo-mo video of a kernel of popcorn popping or a water balloon being burst–that made the simplest, most boring things fascinating again. Before that it was the art and science of making clear ice. And before that, dead whales and foie gras, culinary time travelers, Blade Runner-style restaurant design and robots that make pancakes.All of which is just to say that we love us some geek stuff here at Voracious, and get all little-girl squealy over scientists dressed in chef jackets. Which is why, this week, we truly let our geek flag fly with a feature story all about Seattle’s specialty food scene, centered around all sorts of tips, tricks, gadgets, widgets, recipes, lists and suggestions from our very own Seattle Food Geek.Some highlights, after the jump.A Seattle Food Geek Recipe for Making Your Own Beecher’s Flagship CheetosWorking time: 40 minutesTotal kitchen time: 40 minutesShopping list:• 50g (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) small pearl tapioca• 50g (1 loose cup) Beecher’s Flagship, grated• 15g (1/2 tsp.) water• 1/2 tsp. + 1 tsp. salt, separated• 1 3/4 cup white corn meal• 1/2 cup milk• 2 egg whites• canola oil, for fryingSpecial equipment: coffee grinder, food processor, cookie press with 1/2 circular die, pastry bag with 1/2 round tip, or cookie gunFor the powdered cheese:1. Preheat your oven to 170°F, or its lowest setting above that.2. Grind the tapioca pearls in a coffee grinder for 1 minute, or until they turn to a very fine powder. Set aside.3. In a small saucepan, combine the water and grated cheese over medium heat, stirring constantly.4. When the cheese is fully melted into a clump-free, runny sauce, transfer it to the bowl of your food processor. Add the powdered tapioca and blend on high until it forms thick granules, about 30 seconds. If your mixture doesn’t form granules, but forms a dough instead, add 1 tsp. additional tapioca and continue mixing.5. Transfer the mixture to a nonstick or lined baking sheet and spread in a thin, even layer. Bake at 170°F for 45 minutes, or until the mixture is dry to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cheese powder to cool 10 minutes.6. Add the cheese powder to the coffee grinder. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and grind 1 minute, or until it turns to a very fine powder.For the Cheetos:1. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, milk, egg whites, and 1 tsp. salt. Mix until combined and lump-free.2. Add the cornmeal mixture to your cookie gun, and ensure that you can extrude it through the die. If the mixture is too dry, return it to the bowl and add 1 tbsp. milk. If the mixture is too wet to hold its shape, return it to the bowl and add 1 tbsp. of corn meal.3. Add canola oil to a medium saucepan until it is about 2 deep. Heat to 350°F.4. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Spread the remaining powdered cheese on a second baking sheet.5. Carefully squirt 4-6 pumps of the cornmeal mixture directly into the oil. Fry for 15 seconds, then flip and fry for an additional 15 seconds or until golden brown. Drain briefly on the paper towels, then toss immediately in the tray of cheese powder, rolling to coat. Transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat for remaining dough, ensuring that the oil temperature holds steady at 350°F.Some Tips For the Kitchen Chemist, courtesy of the Seattle Food Geek• Use syringes to dispense sauces. Ketchup and mustard have it easy–they’re already in squeeze bottles. But what about sour cream? Or better yet, what about that roasted-red-pepper sauce you want to plate like a pro? Syringes are cheap, easy to handle, and let you play Picasso with your plating.• Hang a clothesline for clump-free pasta. The worst part about hand-making beautiful, long noodles is when they get stuck together and end up in a ball. String a cotton clothesline across your kitchen and you’ll have plenty of space for your fettuccine to hang out before dinner.• Clean used cooking fats with coffee filters. If treated properly, cooking fats such as duck fat or vegetable oil can be reused five or six times. However, it’s important to remove all particles from the fat before storing. Let the fat cool, then strain it with a paper coffee filter. Don’t reuse fat that has been heated beyond its smoke point, and don’t cook with fat that smells rancid.You can find more tips, recipes for wine jellies and DIY sous-vide salmon and stories about Escoffier and Spur scattered throughout this week’s paper. Or, you can go the high-tech route and just check ’em all out online.