To release the cloves from a bulb of garlic, place the garlic on a cutting board. Place your hand on the root end and gently apply pressure straight down.

This will crack the papery white skin away from the bulb and separate the cloves.

Discard the loose bits of the outside of the garlic and the root end.

For each clove, start at the end that was connected at the root. It will have a hard, brown tip. Gently peel away the skin from the garlic clove by grabbing the root end between a paring knife and your thumb.

When all the skin has been removed and discarded, trim the root end away.

Cut off one of the rounded sides of the clove. Turn the garlic onto the cut side to keep it stabilized while you cut thin slivers.