The sous chef or under chef is second in command in the kitchen, so may actually be in quite a powerful position sometimes. In my kitchen, the sous chef chops up the vegetables and washes up as I proceed through the various stages of producing a meal. In practice there isn’t one and it only ever happens when we stay with our friends Michael and Catherine and Michael and I take it in turns to be one another's sous chefs. There is a good article about sous chefs on Eggbeater (see link below).
"Under the ashes." This more often actually refers to foods wrapped in pastry and baked. Presumably this is just an historical hangover from the way such foods used to be cooked.
Sous-vide cooking is similar to poaching and is a method of low
heat cooking using a water and steam bath in which food sealed in plastic or glass canning
jars is submerged to cook slowly. While
there are special devices and “ovens” designed to maintain specific
temperatures (55 to 60°C /131 to
140 °F), it can be performed through the use of a water bath held at the appropriate temperature, a well calibrated source of heat, a sealed container (typically a plastic bag from which the air has been vacated or a mason jar), and a thermometer and timer. This method retains the moisture and flavors in the cooked foods
and prevents overcooking.
