Rachael Mamane, a professional maker of culinary stocks, spent a day in Hawi last month giving her attention to local shrimp. She removed the heads and slow-cooked them in oil, rendering a lovely red, beautifully flavored roasted shrimp head oil. The heads joined the shells in a pot with water to slow-cook into a rich stock. The fine “sediment,” innards from the heads at the bottom of the pot, was cooked down and incorporated into butter to make a charred shrimp compound butter.

The shrimp meat was served in a Vietnamese-style shrimp salad. But the dish, unlike most kitchen endeavors, was not the central point.

The point, instead: “From one thing, I make as many things as possible. That’s how I cook.”

Mamane is author of “Mastering Stocks and Broths,” a 2018 James Beard Foundation book award finalist. In it, she covers everything from the history and science of stocks and broths to the how-tos of making them and applying them in recipes. It’s a comprehensive tome that is both a good read — Did you know, for instance, that a 16th-century English inventor crafted dried soup from cow legs to nourish explorers at sea? — and filled with so much practical advice that it easily earns a place on the cookbook shelf.

For all its riches, Mamane’s book is but one expression of her work. There is also Brooklyn Bouillon, a company she started that sells high-quality culinary stocks. Her latest endeavor is Atlas Alimenta, a global food-systems consultancy and innovation lab. At the core of these projects is the driver of Mamane’s work: a social mission of minimizing food waste and extending the food supply.

“I came to realize that lots of parts of the animal goes to waste,” she said of her motivation to open Brooklyn Bouillon in 2010, prior to the bone-broth craze. “Bones are oftentimes left at the processor by farmers. They take up lots of precious space in cold storage, and if farmers bring them to market and don’t sell them, it may not be worth the cost of transportation. So they can be eliminated from the value chain.”

Brooklyn Bouillon, along with other ventures across the country focused on improving the food system, helped increase the value of bones for responsible farmers.

The company sources bones from healthy animals raised consciously on well-tended land, and pays top dollar to farmers.

“We wanted the farmer to know we respect the value of their animals, their soil and their labor,” she said.

Her new venture, Atlas Alimenta, brings together traditional food preservation techniques with modern technology. One project it’s assessing involves a declining lobster industry on the coast of Maine.

Atlas Alimenta is examining one possible solution: Retraining lobstermen for seaweed farming. Seaweed can be turned into value- added products that go beyond dried nori. The nutritious, flavorful elements of seaweed and algae could be extracted to create healthful snacks such as seaweed jerkey and more.

“Through technologies, we as an industry could expand the food supply and remediate industry,” she said.

Mamane is slated next to apprentice with an expert in koji (the mold used to ferment sake and miso), forpossible use in rapid dry-aged meats and vegetable charcuterie. She’s also working to improve the nutritional value of dried bouillon.

Approaching food systems from another angle, the consultancy’s think tank of investors and mentors will groom small businesses to scale up. The innovation lab is still in the works.

“Our approach is contrary to how industrial agriculture works,” she said. “We’re interested in how New World technology can help improve food supply while honoring Old World techniques and methodologies.”

GUIDELINES FOR MAKING STOCK

No matter what method you use, start with the best ingredients, from water (filtered is best) to vegetables (freshest possible) to bones (from animals raised consciously on good land). Here are some notes from Mamane:

>> Stock vs. broth: A stock is made with bones and vegetables, intended as a building block for other dishes, whether to braise meats, make a demi-glace sauce or boost the flavor of a stew. A broth is traditionally made with more meat than bones and is simmered for a shorter time to produce a light, flavorful liquid.

>> Collagen: This fibrous protein from bones determines the body of a stock or broth. Collagen breaks down in heated liquid and turns to gelatin. When chilled, a stock rich in gelatin will solidify to a jellylike consistency. Kombu adds body to a vegetable stock, which has no collagen.

>> Flexibility: Reduce or water down a stock or broth to suit a dish. “They can expand and contract for whatever you’re making,” said Mamane.

>> Convenience appliances: Mamane prefers stocks made in a pot on the stove, but appreciates the ease that pressure cookers, slow cookers and mulitcookers offer. “I understand that people lead busy lives. This equipment saves time and allows people to make healthy decisions about where their food comes from and how it is handled at home.” Don’t expect the clarity and silkiness of a French-style stock, however. A slow cooker doesn’t hit the right temperature to deliver much gelatin. A pressure cooker does, but stocks tend to be cloudy.

>> White stock: Light in color, uses raw or blanched bones and is intended as a background flavor. It is suited to risottos and for poaching.

>> Brown stocks: Made from roasted bones, resulting in a dark hue, rich flavor and full body, providing a rich foundation to dishes. Tomato paste may be added for color and texture.

FRENCH-STYLE

Mamane’s stock of choice aims for clarity. Cold, filtered water is placed in an uncovered pot, and the temperature is slowly raised to a slow, gently bubbling simmer (about 180 degrees; the French call this a “smile”). This brings impurities to the surface that should be skimmed thoughout the cooking time, so the pot requires continual attention.

Vegetables and herbs are added in the last 45 minutes of cooking, and the stock salted at the end. Let rest 15 minutes so sediment settles at the bottom.

Strain through a sieve (don’t pour, use a ladle to keep from stirring up sediment), then strain through cheesecloth if necessary. Cool in an ice bath, then refrigerate. The next day, remove the fat that congeals at the top (use it for something else), then taste. Add salt if it’s watery, water if it’s salty.

A beef stock takes about nine hours cooking time, a pork stock about seven and a chicken stock, five to six.

ASIAN-STYLE

The focus here is flavor. Liquid is brought to a rolling boil, and flavorful emulsifications produce a cloudy, tasty product.

A Chinese master stock comprises a list of aromatics, soy sauce and sweet wine. It is refrigerated or frozen, then topped off with more as it is used.

“It becomes a compound, living stock that builds on flavors and continues to develop,” Mamane said. “It is a home technique that is safe when employed with basic food safety standards.”

In her book, Mamane identifies stocks of other cuisines, including Japanese dashi, with its umami- rich kombu and katsuoboshi (dried skipjack tuna); Korean ox-bone soup, a milky white stock served with kim chee and rice; and Vietnamese pho, which she describes as a heavily spiced broth that differs depending on whether it’s made in southern Vietnam or the country’s northern area.

THE KEY here is soaking bones in successive batches of water overnight to remove blood and impurities. Be sure water is clear before simmering. Use any type of white fish — either flat or bony — provided the water does not go beyond a smile, a slow simmer with gentle bubbles.

BASIC FISH FUMET

Adapted from “Mastering Stocks and Broths” by Rachael Mamane (2017, Chelsea Green Publishing, $35)

• 5 pounds fish bones, tails, skin and fins removed
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1/2 pound white onions, cut into large dice
• 1 pound leeks, dark green parts removed, cut into large dice
• 3/4 pound carrots, cut into large dice
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped, fronds removed
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 6 quarts filtered water, cold, plus water for soaking
• Sea salt, to taste

Cut bones into 3- to 5-inch pieces. Discard veins, gills and organs, including eyes (this eliminates proteins that could cloud stock). Rinse under cold water until water is clear.

Place bones in large container; add water and ice to cover. Refrigerate and soak 8 hours or overnight, changing water a few times to remove blood. You should end up with bones in clear water. Drain in colander and rinse again.

In large stockpot, heat grapeseed oil over medium. When it starts to ripple, add onions, leeks, carrots and fennel. Saute, stirring often, until cooked through but not caramelized, about 7 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine and simmer 1 minute.

Add bones, herbs and peppercorns; fill pot with filtered water. Turn heat to medium-high to slowly heat liquid. Using fine-mesh strainer, skim any scum that rises to the surface. When liquid begins to ripple, reduce heat to medium-low and maintain at a simmer for about 40 minutes.

Turn off heat and rest stock on stove about 15 minutes. Line fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over container large enough to hold liquid contents of pot. Carefully ladle stock from pot to strainer, leaving any cloudy liquid at bottom of pot. Skim fat from surface; discard.

Taste stock. If too watery, return it to a clean stockpot and simmer longer. Taste and season with sea salt.

Place container in ice bath to rapidly cool stock. Skim any fat from surface. When no longer steaming, transfer to refrigerator. Refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze in smaller containers for longer storage. Makes about 4 quarts.

Nutritional information unavailable.