Hello new cook! Garlic adds so much wonderful flavor to so many of my favorite recipes. Garlic paste is a fine and convenient substitute for garlic in most recipes where fresh garlic is used as a flavoring, rather than a main component in the dish. For example, using garlic paste would be fine in my Skillet Chicken and Tomatoes, but I wouldn't use it for my Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil. One teaspoon of garlic paste is equal to one regular clove of garlic. But I encourage you to experiment with fresh garlic, too! Here are a couple of tips: To use fresh garlic, separate however many cloves the recipe calls for from the bulb. To easily peel garlic cloves, smash the unpeeled cloves on a cutting board using the flat side of the blade of a large knife. Once the clove is smashed the peel will slip off easily. Now you can either use a garlic press or chop the garlic with a knife. Garlic is often sticky, so I find it helps to sprinkle some salt on the garlic clove to help with the stickiness when chopping. I hope this helps!