This page explains how Ofwea uses cookies and similar technologies, what each type does, and how you can control them. We have written it in plain language so you can actually understand what happens when you visit the site.
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device. The next time you visit, the site can read that file. Cookies do a range of jobs: some remember a setting you chose, some help the site work at all, and some record which pages get read so the owners can see what is popular. A cookie cannot run a program or read other files on your device. It is a small note, nothing more, but the notes add up, so it is fair to explain them.
We use cookies for a few reasons. Some are needed to run the site and cannot be switched off without breaking basic features. Some remember your preferences so you do not have to set them again. Some help us understand how the site is used, in aggregate, so we can fix what is confusing and write more of what people read. And because the site carries advertising, some cookies are set by our advertising partners to control which ads you see and to measure whether they work.
These make the site function. WordPress, the software that runs Ofwea, sets cookies to manage logged-in sessions and to keep a comment form working after you submit it. If you are not logged in and never comment, you may see very few of these. They do not track you across other sites, and the site cannot work correctly without them, so they are always on.
If the site remembers a choice you made, for example dismissing a notice, that is a preference cookie. It exists to save you from repeating yourself. These are low-stakes and easy to clear whenever you like.
To see which recipes are read and where readers run into trouble, we may use an analytics service that sets cookies. What we look at is the pattern across many visitors, not the behavior of one named person. This tells us, for example, that a particular recipe gets a lot of traffic from search but few people reach the instructions, which is a sign the page needs work. You can decline these without losing access to any recipe.
Ofwea shows ads to pay for the site, and those ads come through Google and its advertising partners. Google may set cookies to limit how often you see the same ad, to remember whether you interacted with one, and to show ads it judges more relevant based on your activity across the web. These cookies are set by Google, not by us, and they operate under Google’s own privacy and advertising policies. Google explains its use of advertising cookies and offers controls on its own pages, which you can reach through the Google Ads settings.
Some cookies on Ofwea are set by third parties rather than by us. Advertising and analytics are the main examples. We do not control the cookies those companies set, and we cannot read the data they collect. Each of them runs under its own policy, and the best source for exactly what they store is that company’s own cookie or privacy page. We name Google here because advertising is the third party you meet most often on this site.
You are in control of cookies through your browser. Every major browser lets you see the cookies a site has set, delete them, and block new ones. You can block third-party cookies while keeping the essential ones, which is a common middle ground: the site keeps working, and most advertising and cross-site tracking cookies are stopped. Look in your browser settings under privacy for the exact controls, since the wording differs between Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
If you block or delete cookies, expect a couple of trade-offs. A preference you set may be forgotten, and you may need to sign in again if you had been logged in. No recipe or article is hidden behind cookies, so reading the site works fine either way. Advertising cookies can also be managed through industry opt-out tools and through Google’s ad settings, which let you turn off personalized ads without turning off ads entirely.
Some browsers can send a Do Not Track signal. There is no agreed industry standard for how a site must answer it, and support among third parties is inconsistent. We mention it so you know the signal exists. For reliable control, the browser cookie settings and the advertising opt-out tools described above do more than the Do Not Track flag currently does.
Cookies fall into two groups by lifespan. A session cookie lasts only until you close your browser and then disappears on its own. A persistent cookie stays on your device for a set period, which can be days, months, or longer, so the site can recognize a returning visitor. Essential session cookies tend to be short-lived, while advertising and analytics cookies are more often persistent, since their job is to measure behavior over time. You can delete either kind at any moment through your browser, and doing so simply resets the clock.
We may update this page as the site changes or as the rules around cookies change. When we make a meaningful update, we will change the date shown at the bottom. Checking back now and then is the surest way to know what is current.
If anything here is unclear, or you want to know more about a specific cookie you have seen on the site, reach us through the contact page and we will do our best to explain it.