SMORGASBORD: Belgian's buddy . . . Get the scoop . . . Kettle coup . . . Behind the science of cooking

Belgian's buddy

Like a Belgian zucker waffle, Smucker's Snack'n Waffles are infused with sweetness, so you need nothing additional to make them an easy treat. Thaw, microwave or toast the pre-cooked waffles (They come in maple, blueberry, cinnamon and chocolate chip.) See snackwaffles.com for more.

Buy a box of four individually wrapped waffles for about $3 in grocery stores nationwide.

Get the scoop

Not a fan of oversweet, artificial-tasting ketchup?

Sir Kensington's gourmet scooping ketchup actually tastes as though it's made from tomatoes -- vine-ripened pear tomato puree to be exact -- and a sampling of the impressive ingredient list includes apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, agave nectar and lime juice.

Buy an 11-ounce jar for $9 at sirkensingtons.com.

Kettle coup

Kettle Tias! tortilla chips want your Doritos (or other stand-alone, flavored tortilla chip) business -- that's all there is to it. The choice is yours, but we will say that these toasted organic-corn tortilla chips' promises of all-natural colors and flavors, and no preservatives, have our attention. Testers were enthused over the Zesty Ranch, Nacho Cheddar and Salsa Picante flavors.

Buy an 8-ounce bag for $3.69 at buykettlechips.com, and look for them in select stores nationwide in the new year.

Behind science of cooking

Geeks and cooking have a somewhat contentious relationship. It's not that they don't like food, and there are certainly cooking geeks out there, just as there are sports, computer and car geeks. The problem is that the most common ways to learn to cook focus on what to do, while most geeks prefer to know why they're doing it and how it works.

That's where Jeff Potter's "Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks and Good Food" (O'Reilly Media, $34.99), a more chemistry-textbook meets technical-manual than traditional cookbook, comes in.

"Geeks" is not just for newbies. Even experienced cooks probably still could benefit from the advanced chapters.

Those just looking for recipes will probably be disappointed. There's no lack of them, and they run the gamut from Lemony Quinoa and Asparagus with Shrimp to Duck Confit Sugo -- Potter's favorite. But they're framed more as lab examples and study questions.

For geeks who never really grasped cooking conceptually, "Cooking for Geeks" will spark an epiphany and get you initializing your kitchen in no time.

1/2: Not a fan of oversweet, artificial-tasting ketchup? Sir Kensington's gourmet scooping ketchup actually tastes as though it's made from tomatoes. (McClatchy Tribune)

2/2: Like a Belgian zucker waffle, Smucker's Snack'n Waffles are infused with sweetness, so you need nothing additional to make them an easy treat. (McClatchy Tribune)