DEAR DAME EVELYN , Please settle an argument between my sister and me. She claims that when making risotto or polenta, you don't actually have to stir constantly for 20 minutes, though the recipe always says you do. I say that the recipe wouldn't say you had to do it if you really didn't. She is a bossy know-it-all, and part of me is dying to find out that she is wrong, for once. But another part of me is dying to be told that I don't actually have to stand there over the hot stove, stirring away while watching the clock and sweating. What do you think?

Rice Queen

P.S. My couscous is often lumpy. What should I do?

Ma'am, First, as to the bossy-sister issue, you have my sympathy. Dame Evelyn has been there! And now Dame Evelyn is here, while ... But let us not stray from the matter at hand. Alas – or perhaps hallelujah – your martinet of a sister is right yet again. Of course, it can't hurt risotto or polenta to be stirred constantly for 20 minutes, but it isn't actually necessary. What is necessary is to stir it constantly for the first few minutes – until the polenta has noticeably thickened or the risotto has begun to soften and swell with whatever hot liquid you're adding to it. (And be sure you add hot liquid lest the rice turn gummy and your guests flee or your sister belittle you.) After the initial congealing has been achieved, a good stir or two every few minutes should be enough to stave off lumpiness. As to the lumpy couscous: Add a bit of butter or olive oil to the water you're cooking it in. And resist the temptation to meddle while the couscous is actually cooking! No tocare! After the requisite five minutes, you are permitted to enter with your fork and discreetly mash any lumps that might have had occasion to form. Happy mashing!

Sororially, E. G.-S.