Last Updated: October 28, 2025
1. Introduction
RecipeChic.com (“Site,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or “Company”), owned and operated by Chef Emma Reynolds, uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, understand how you use our Site, and deliver personalized content. This Cookies Policy explains what cookies are, the types of cookies we use, how we use them, and your options for managing cookies.
By continuing to use RecipeChic.com, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy. If you do not agree with our cookie practices, you may disable cookies through your browser settings or choose not to use our Site.
2. What Are Cookies?
A. Definition
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. Cookies contain information that is sent back to the website on subsequent visits, allowing the website to recognize your device and remember information about your browsing preferences and behavior.
B. How Cookies Work
When you visit RecipeChic.com:
- Our server sends a cookie to your device
- Your browser stores the cookie locally
- On subsequent visits, your browser sends the cookie back to our server
- We use the information in the cookie to personalize your experience
C. Cookie Lifespan
Cookies have different lifespans:
- Session Cookies: Deleted automatically when you close your browser
- Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a specified period (days, months, or years) until they expire or you delete them manually
3. Types of Cookies We Use
A. Strictly Necessary Cookies
Purpose: These cookies are essential for the Site to function properly and provide basic features.
Examples include:
- Authentication cookies that keep you logged in to your account
- Security cookies that help prevent fraud and protect your data
- Preference cookies that remember your language and display settings
- Load balancing cookies that distribute traffic across servers
Legal Basis: Legitimate interests and contractual necessity Duration: Session or up to 12 months Third Parties: None Can be disabled: These cookies are required for Site functionality. Disabling them may prevent you from using certain features.
B. Preference/Functionality Cookies
Purpose: These cookies remember your choices and preferences to enhance your user experience.
Examples include:
- Recipe preference cookies that remember which recipes you’ve viewed
- Dietary preference cookies that filter recipes based on your selections
- Dark mode or light mode preferences
- Font size and accessibility settings
- Saved search filters and sort preferences
Legal Basis: Legitimate interests Duration: Up to 12 months Third Parties: None Can be disabled: Yes, through our Cookie Management Tool or browser settings. Disabling may limit personalization features.
C. Analytics/Performance Cookies
Purpose: These cookies collect information about how visitors use our Site to help us understand user behavior and improve functionality.
Examples include:
- Pages you visit and time spent on each page
- Links you click and navigation patterns
- Search queries and filters used
- Device type and browser information
- Referral sources and traffic sources
Legal Basis: Legitimate interests Duration: Up to 26 months (varies by analytics platform) Third Parties:
- Google Analytics (Google LLC)
- Hotjar (for heatmaps and session recordings) Can be disabled: Yes, through our Cookie Management Tool, browser settings, or by opting out with analytics providers.
D. Marketing/Advertising Cookies
Purpose: These cookies enable targeted advertising and help us measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
Examples include:
- Cookies that track your browsing across different websites
- Cookies that remember recipes you’ve viewed to show related content
- Cookies that track which ads you’ve seen and clicked
- Cookies that measure conversion from ads to recipe views or newsletter signups
- Cookies that build profiles for targeted advertising
Legal Basis: Consent (where required by law) Duration: 30 days to 2 years (varies by platform) Third Parties:
- Google Ads (Google LLC)
- Facebook Pixel (Meta Platforms)
- Pinterest Tag
- Other advertising networks Can be disabled: Yes, through our Cookie Management Tool or by opting out with advertisers.
E. Social Media Cookies
Purpose: These cookies enable social media sharing and integration with social media platforms.
Examples include:
- Share buttons that track when content is shared
- Like/reaction buttons that track engagement
- Social media plugins that connect to your social accounts
Legal Basis: Consent Duration: Varies by social media platform Third Parties:
- Facebook/Meta
- Twitter/X
- YouTube Can be disabled: Yes, through our Cookie Management Tool or by adjusting privacy settings on social media platforms.
4. Specific Cookies Used on RecipeChic.com
A. First-Party Cookies (Set by RecipeChic.com)
| Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Duration | Can Delete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
recipechic_session | Strictly Necessary | Maintains your session and login | Session | No |
recipechic_preferences | Preference | Stores your site preferences | 12 months | Yes |
recipechic_dietary | Preference | Remembers your dietary filters | 6 months | Yes |
recipechic_language | Preference | Stores your language preference | 12 months | Yes |
recipechic_analytics_id | Analytics | Tracks user interactions | 13 months | Yes |
recipechic_consent | Strictly Necessary | Records your cookie consent choices | 12 months | Yes* |
*Note: Deleting the consent cookie will reset your preferences and require you to make new choices.
B. Third-Party Cookies (Set by External Services)
| Service | Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | _ga, _gid, _gat | Analytics | Tracks website usage | 2 years |
| Google Ads | _gcl_au, _gac_* | Marketing | Tracks ad conversions | 90 days |
| Facebook Pixel | _fbp, fr | Marketing | Tracks conversions and audience | 90 days |
| Hotjar | _hjid, _hjTLDTest | Analytics | Session recordings and heatmaps | 365 days |
_pinterest_sess, _pinterest_ct | Marketing | Tracks Pinterest interactions | Session/30 days |
5. Pixels and Similar Tracking Technologies
In addition to cookies, we use other tracking technologies that work similarly:
A. Web Beacons (Tracking Pixels)
Tiny, invisible images placed on web pages that track when pages are viewed and interactions occur. Used for analytics and marketing purposes.
B. Device Identifiers
Unique codes assigned to your device for tracking purposes across multiple sessions.
C. Local Storage and Session Storage
Browser storage technologies that function similarly to cookies but can store more data. Subject to the same consent requirements as cookies.
6. Cookie Consent and Management
A. Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit RecipeChic.com, we display a cookie consent banner giving you options to:
- Accept All: Accept all non-essential cookies
- Reject All: Decline all non-essential cookies (only strictly necessary cookies will be used)
- Customize: Choose which types of cookies to allow
B. Cookie Management Tool
You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through our Cookie Preference Center, which allows you to:
- View all cookies currently set on your device
- Enable or disable specific cookie categories
- Delete cookies
- Reset your preferences
Access the Cookie Management Tool by clicking the “Cookie Settings” or “Manage Cookies” link in the footer of our Site.
C. Browser-Level Control
Most web browsers allow you to control cookie settings through your browser preferences:
Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
Mozilla Firefox: Preferences > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
Apple Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
Microsoft Edge: Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data > Cookies
Opera: Settings > Advanced > Cookies
For specific instructions, visit your browser’s help documentation.
D. Opting Out of Third-Party Tracking
You can opt out of specific third-party tracking services:
Google Analytics:
- Browser Extension: Install Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Website: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Facebook Pixel:
- Visit your Facebook ad preferences: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences
General Ad Tracking:
- NAI Opt-Out: https://optout.networkadvertising.org/
- DAA Opt-Out: https://optout.aboutads.info/
7. Legal Basis for Cookie Use
A. GDPR Compliance (EU/EEA Users)
For users in the European Union and European Economic Area, our legal basis for using cookies is:
- Strictly Necessary Cookies: Legal basis is contractual necessity and legitimate interests. No consent required.
- Preference Cookies: Legal basis is legitimate interests. We obtain your explicit consent via our cookie banner.
- Analytics Cookies: Legal basis is legitimate interests. We obtain your explicit consent via our cookie banner.
- Marketing Cookies: Legal basis is consent. We do not set these cookies until you actively consent via our banner.
B. CCPA Compliance (California Users)
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, we honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and Do Not Track (DNT) headers. If you enable these signals, we will:
- Limit our use of cookies for marketing purposes
- Not sell or share personal information collected via cookies
C. Other Jurisdictions
For users in other locations, we comply with applicable cookie and privacy laws, including obtaining consent where required.
8. Data Collection via Cookies
A. Information Collected
Cookies and tracking technologies collect:
- Your IP address
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Device type and model
- Pages visited on our Site
- Time spent on pages
- Links clicked
- Search queries
- Referring website
- Date and time of visit
- User interactions (clicks, scrolls, hovers)
- Approximate geographic location (based on IP address)
- Device identifiers and advertising IDs
B. Information NOT Collected
Cookies do NOT typically collect:
- Your name or contact information (unless you provide it)
- Your password
- Complete credit card information
- Precise GPS location
- Medical information
- Biometric data
9. How We Use Cookie Data
We use information collected via cookies to:
A. Site Functionality
- Keep you logged in to your account
- Remember your preferences and settings
- Maintain security and prevent fraud
- Load balance server traffic
B. Analytics and Improvement
- Understand how users navigate our Site
- Identify which recipes are most popular
- Improve Site design and user experience
- Fix technical issues and bugs
- Measure Site performance
C. Marketing and Advertising
- Display personalized recipe recommendations
- Show targeted advertisements on our Site and other websites
- Measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
- Create audience segments for targeted ads
- Track conversion from ad click to action
D. Personalization
- Remember your dietary preferences and filters
- Suggest recipes based on your browsing history
- Customize content based on your interests
- Provide a more relevant experience on return visits
10. Sharing Cookie Data with Third Parties
A. Service Providers
We share data collected via cookies with:
- Analytics Providers: Google Analytics, Hotjar
- Advertising Networks: Google Ads, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram
- Hosting Providers: For Site operation and optimization
- Email Services: For tracking email campaign engagement
B. Data Processing Agreements
All third parties are contractually bound by Data Processing Agreements requiring them to:
- Process data only as instructed
- Maintain confidentiality and security
- Not share data with other parties
- Delete data upon contract termination
C. Your Control
You can limit data sharing by:
- Disabling non-essential cookies
- Using our Cookie Preference Center
- Opting out of specific tracking services
- Using browser privacy tools and extensions
11. International Data Transfers
Data collected via cookies from EU/EEA users may be transferred to the United States and other countries for processing by Google Analytics, Facebook, and other third-party services. These transfers are governed by:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
- Adequacy Decisions
- Your explicit consent
For more information, please review our GDPR Policy and Privacy Policy.
12. Cookie Retention and Deletion
A. Automatic Deletion
Session cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain until their expiration date or until you delete them manually.
B. Manual Deletion
You can delete cookies at any time through:
- Your browser’s cookie management settings
- Our Cookie Preference Center
- Clearing your browser’s browsing data
Note: Deleting cookies may:
- Log you out of your account
- Reset your preferences
- Require you to re-enter information
- Remove personalization features
C. Cookie Retention Policy
We retain cookie data in accordance with:
- Analytics data: Up to 26 months
- Marketing data: Up to 2 years
- Preference data: Until deletion or cookie expiration
- Session data: Until browser session ends
13. Do Not Track Signals
Some browsers include a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature. When DNT is enabled, your browser sends a signal requesting that websites not track your activity.
Our DNT Policy:
- We honor DNT signals from users who have explicitly enabled this feature
- When DNT is detected, we:
- Still set strictly necessary cookies for Site functionality
- Disable marketing and analytics cookies
- Do not track your activity for advertising purposes
To enable DNT on your device:
- Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Turn on “Do Not Track”
- Firefox: Preferences > Privacy > Enable “Send websites a ‘Do Not Track’ signal”
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Enable “Ask websites not to track me”
- Edge: Settings > Privacy > Toggle on “Tracking Prevention”
14. Mobile App Cookies and Identifiers
If RecipeChic.com has a mobile application, we may use:
- App-specific identifiers instead of traditional cookies
- Mobile advertising identifiers (AAID for Android, IDFA for iOS)
- Similar tracking technologies for analytics and personalization
You can manage mobile identifiers through:
- Android: Settings > Google > Manage your Google Account > Data & Privacy > Ad Settings
- iOS: Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising > Turn off Personalized Ads
15. Children’s Cookies
RecipeChic.com is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly set cookies to collect data from children under 13 without parental consent.
If you are under 13 and have accepted cookies without parental permission, please inform a parent or guardian, who should contact us at privacy@recipechic.com to request deletion of the child’s data.
For users aged 13-16 in certain jurisdictions, we may require parental consent before setting non-essential cookies.
16. Accessibility and Cookies
For users with visual or other disabilities, managing cookies may require:
- Browser accessibility features
- Screen reader compatibility with our Cookie Preference Center
- Alternative methods for managing preferences
If you have difficulty managing cookies due to accessibility needs, please contact us at contact@recipechic.com and we will assist you.
17. Cookie Security
A. Security Measures
We implement security measures to protect cookie data:
- SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission
- Secure cookie flags (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite)
- Regular security audits
- Access controls limiting who can view cookie data
B. Vulnerable Cookies
We do NOT set cookies with:
- Unencrypted sensitive information
- Easily guessable cookie names
- Disabled HttpOnly flags
- Disabled Secure flags (on HTTPS)
C. Your Responsibility
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining device security
- Not sharing devices with untrusted users
- Using secure passwords for your account
- Clearing cookies on shared devices
18. Third-Party Websites and Affiliate Links
RecipeChic.com may contain links to third-party websites. When you visit linked sites:
- Those sites may set their own cookies independent of our control
- We are not responsible for third-party cookie practices
- You should review their cookie policies separately
- We do not have access to their cookies or data
If you click an affiliate link, the destination site may set cookies to track the referral and provide commission information. We are not responsible for third-party affiliate tracking cookies.
19. Cookie Policy Updates
We may update this Cookies Policy to:
- Reflect changes in our cookie practices
- Add or remove cookies
- Comply with new legal requirements
- Improve clarity and transparency
Material changes will be communicated via:
- Email to users who have provided their email address
- Prominent notice on our Site
- Updated “Last Updated” date on this policy
Your continued use of RecipeChic.com following updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
20. Contact Information
For questions or concerns regarding our Cookies Policy or cookie practices, please contact:
Chef Emma Reynolds
RecipeChic.com
Email: privacy@recipechic.com
Email: contact@recipechic.com
We will respond to inquiries within 30 days of receipt.
21. Cookie Preference Center
RecipeChic.com provides a Cookie Preference Center accessible via the “Manage Cookies” or “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our Site. The Preference Center allows you to:
- View all active cookies
- Understand the purpose of each cookie category
- Enable or disable cookie categories individually
- Delete all cookies or specific cookies
- Reset preferences to default settings
- Export your cookie preferences
22. Appendix: Common Cookie Questions
Q: Are cookies dangerous?
A: Cookies themselves are not dangerous, but they do track your activity. We use industry-standard security practices to protect cookie data. Always use strong passwords and keep your device secure.
Q: Can I use RecipeChic.com without accepting cookies?
A: Yes, you can use most of our Site with only strictly necessary cookies. However, personalization features, analytics, and targeted ads require additional cookies. Your experience may be less optimized.
Q: How long do cookies stay on my device?
A: Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain for their specified duration (days to years) until they expire or you delete them.
Q: Can cookies track me across different websites?
A: Yes, some third-party cookies and tracking pixels can track your activity across multiple websites for advertising purposes. You can opt out using the methods described in this policy.
Q: Are there any cookies I cannot disable?
A: Yes, strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for Site functionality. All other cookie types can be disabled through our Preference Center or browser settings.
Q: How do I report a cookie-related privacy concern?
A: Please contact privacy@recipechic.com with details of your concern. We investigate all reports and take appropriate action.