Cook Not by the Book

Privacy

Last updated: October 10, 2026

The short version

You can read every recipe on Cook Not by the Book without an account and without giving us any information. We count visits with Google Analytics only if you agree. We do not show advertising and we do not sell information about visitors.

Visitor statistics

We would like to know how many people visit and which recipes they read, so we can make the site more useful. For that we use Google Analytics 4, a service from Google.

  • Only with your agreement. The first time you visit, a small panel asks whether statistics may be used. Until you choose Accept, no Google Analytics code is loaded and no Analytics cookie is set. If you choose Decline, it stays that way.
  • What Google Analytics receives if you accept. The address of each page you view, the page you came from, the time of your visit, general information about your browser and device such as screen size and language, and an approximate location such as city or country. On the recipe search page, the page address can include the words you searched for.
  • Cookies. Analytics sets two cookies in your browser, _ga and _ga_Q9TCYDCDGT. They hold a random number that tells one browser from another, so a returning visit is not counted as a new visitor. They last up to two years unless you remove them sooner.
  • No names or contact details. The site does not send your name, your email address or anything you write to us to Google Analytics.
  • No advertising features. The site keeps the advertising options in Google Analytics switched off. Statistics are not used to show you ads or to build an advertising profile.

Google processes this information on our behalf. Google explains how it handles Analytics data in its own privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.

Changing your choice

You can change your mind at any time. Use the Privacy choices link at the bottom of any page to turn statistics on or off. When you turn them off, the site stops loading Google Analytics and removes its cookies from your browser.

Your choice is saved in your own browser, not on our server, so it applies to that browser on that device. If you clear your browser data, you will be asked again.

If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, the site treats that as a no. Statistics stay off and the panel does not appear, unless you turn statistics on yourself with the Privacy choices link.

Instagram videos

Some recipes offer a video from Instagram. The video is not loaded with the page. It loads only when you press the button to play it, and at that moment your browser connects to Instagram, which is run by Meta. Instagram may then set its own cookies and collect information under its own privacy policy. Links to Instagram open Instagram’s own website.

Hosting

The site is delivered by Cloudflare. Like every web host, Cloudflare receives technical information such as your IP address in order to send pages to your browser and to keep the service secure. The fonts on this site are served from the site itself, not from another company.

Email

If you write to the address on the Contact page, we use your email address and your message only to reply to you.

Changes and questions

If the way this site handles information changes, this page will be updated and the date at the top will change. Questions are welcome through the Contact page.