The Wonders of GarlicGarlic is actually not used extensively throughout Italy as many people think. It is more popular in the southern regions and many Americans love garlic! I love to use garlic in much of my Italian cooking and when used properly garlic does not have to overpower your dish. Garlic turns out to be good for you too. It has medicinal qualities and has been used for centuries to cure ailments. I love it when great tasting food turns out to be good for you too. Recent studies has shown it can boost your immune system and lower cholesterol so don’t be afraid to use lots of this delicious herb! Peeling GarlicThe most difficult part of the preparation of the bulb is peeling it.I have tried numerous techniques and gadgets, and the following are the methods I have had the most success with. 
For a large, firm clove you can often just twist it in your fingers and the peel will pop off. You can also use a rubber bottle opener. Simply put one or two cloves in the middle of the opener, wrap it around the cloves and then roll back and forth. The friction from the rubber will peel the garlic. I find this works great to quickly peel one or two cloves, but if you are doing many cloves (which I often am) I would suggest investing in a garlic peeler. This is a rubber tube that can hold several cloves at once. You simply rub the tube on your counter and the cloves fall out peeled.
Whole peeled cloves are great for many recipes where they will be cooked long enough to mellow, as in pot roasts. For quicker cooking methods, you will want to mellow out the raw cloves as they are quite strong and hot.
Dry roasting in a pan is a quick, easy method to mellow garlic. Place the whole, unpeeled cloves into a dry skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir or toss the cloves occasionally to prevent burning and toast until the skins are golden brown. The longer you toast them, the softer and more mellow it will become. When done, place the cloves on your cutting board to cool. The skins will now come off easily and it is ready to be chopped or minced.
Blanching is another way to mellow the raw clove. Put the whole, peeled cloves in a pot of cold water and just bring to a boil. Take them off, pour of the water and add cold water. Bring to a boil again and remove the cloves from the boiling water. You can continue to repeat the process until the cloves are as soft and mellow as you would like them. This is an excellent way to remove any bitterness.
Roasting: Roasting garlic makes it sweet and wonderful. There are so many things you can do with the roasted paste. You can mix it with butter and use it to spruce up vegetables or make a spread for bread. It is very easy to do. Take a whole head of garlic, chop off the top to expose the top of the cloves, and drizzle with olive oil. You can use a garlic
Mincing can be a little tricky if you don’t have excellent knife skills. Most chefs can cut, mince and make garlic paste all with a chef’s knife, but if you are not that comfortable with a knife, there are other ways. The best way is to use a garlic press for raw cloves. You can also use the tip of a fork to mince. Remember that raw garlic intensifies with time, so when you add it raw, you will want to use less and taste test it later. When sautéing, be careful not to burn it or it will become hard and bitter. Rub your hands with stainless steel under cool water to remove the harsh odor after handling the cloves.
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roaster or wrap the head in tin foil and roast in the oven for an hour or so, until it is golden and creamy. I love to do this in the winter when I am already baking or roasting and I just toss in the tin foil package. You can use a potato ricer to quickly squeeze out the cloves from a roasted garlic head.
