If I want my garlic to taste in a very specific way (with bite or without bite) what should I do? I don't always want my garlic to taste the same way. Sometimes I want only the deep umami flavor without the bite (so I let it cook more) and sometimes I look for a strong garlic bite presence in the dish.

I know it depends on how you slice and cook it, but I would like to know the science behind it. My questions:


If you want to have a strong garlic bite, how should you dice the garlic, at what temperature to fry it and for how long?
Same as above, only without the bite.
What "signs" (the smell, the look etc) can cue you in on what "stage" the garlic is right now (strong bite, mellow bite etc)?
Are there general guidelines that you should always follow (like always saute garlic on low heat)?
Garlic strength is mainly down to how much you cook the garlic, and how finely you chop it (different varieties of garlic notwithstanding). Simply put, the less you cook it and the finer you chop it, the more bite it will have. 

So you can alter those variables to achieve the effect you want. If you want super punchy garlic, chop it finely and use it raw. If you want mellow, rich garlic, cook it slowly, whole, and it will turn sweet and sticky. If you want something in between, slice and saute until light golden brown.

Garlic burns very quickly, so a very high heat is generally a bad idea, unless you are very careful to keep the garlic moving. There is a fine line between nicely toasted garlic and blackened, bitter garlic.