Privacy Policy

The short version

We built Cook and Scale to be light on data. You can browse, search, and scale recipes without an account and without any cookie being set. We use no third-party analytics or tracking of any kind — no Google Analytics, no pixels, no trackers. We don't sell your information.

This Privacy Policy explains what that means in more detail. It covers Cook and Scale (the "Service") only, and not any third-party sites that may be linked from it. By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

Cookies

We use a single, strictly-necessary cookie called cs_session, and only after you sign in. It holds a random session identifier so we can keep you logged in — it contains no personal information and is not used for third-party tracking or analytics. It is set to be sent only over a secure connection and is not accessible to page scripts.

Because we currently use no tracking cookies, there is nothing to consent to and no cookie banner. Your in-app preferences (such as measurement units) are stored locally in your browser, not on our servers and not in a cookie.

Information we collect

If you create an account, you sign in with Google. From that sign-in we store a Google account identifier and your email address, and you choose a username that is shown publicly. We do not store your name from Google, and we never receive or store your Google password.

We also store the content and activity you create in your account — for example, recipes you write or import, ratings and reviews, photos you upload, collections, saved recipes, pantry items, meal plans, and shopping lists. Notifications are shown inside the app; we do not send you marketing email.

Information we do not collect

We do not collect passwords (sign-in is handled by Google), payment or card details (there is no payment feature), or precise location. We do not build behavioural profiles, and we do not store device fingerprints. Network information such as your IP address may be processed briefly to keep the Service secure and prevent abuse, but it is not used to profile you.

How we use information

We use the information described above to operate and secure the Service, to provide your account and the features you use, to respond when you contact us, and to comply with applicable legal obligations.

Service providers

We rely on a small number of infrastructure providers to run the Service: Google (which handles sign-in), Cloudflare (which delivers the site and stores uploaded images), and our hosting provider. These providers process information only as needed to operate the Service on our behalf. We may also disclose information if required by law or legal process. The AI providers described in the next section are also service providers in this sense.

We do not share your information with data brokers or analytics companies.

How we use AI

Cook and Scale uses AI for a few specific jobs: turning recipe text into structured ingredients and steps, classifying and translating recipes, checking submitted text and images for unsafe content, confirming that a photo shows food, and generating illustrative recipe images. This applies to everything that enters the Service — what you write on the site, what you import, and what a connected assistant sends on your behalf.

For text and safety checks we use OpenAI and Google. Illustrative images are generated either by Google or by a model running on infrastructure we operate. Recipe text and images may be sent to those providers solely to carry out the processing described here — we do not supply your content to them for any other purpose, including model training, and their own terms govern how they handle what their APIs receive. The requests carry the recipe content being processed, not your account details.

Connected AI assistants

You can connect an AI assistant — ChatGPT or Claude, for example — to your Cook and Scale account so that it can put recipes into your account for you. Connecting is always your own action: you sign in, you see which assistant is asking, and you tick which permissions to give it before anything is granted.

The permissions are separate and you choose each one. “See my recipes” lets the assistant list the recipes on your account and read them in full. “Add recipes” lets it save new recipes to your Recipe inbox and put a picture on them. “Edit my recipes” lets it change any of your recipes that are not published — including ones you wrote yourself, not only the ones it added. “Delete my recipes” lets it remove recipes it added that you have not yet accepted. No permission allows an assistant to publish: making a recipe public is always your own action on the website.

Three further permissions cover the rest of your kitchen. “See my pantry, meal plans and collections” lets the assistant read what is in your pantry, what is on your meal plans, which recipes you have saved and how you have grouped them. “Manage my pantry, meal plans and collections” lets it add and change those, save and unsave recipes, and record what you cooked so the amounts come off your pantry. “Delete from my pantry, meal plans and collections” lets it remove a pantry item, a meal plan or a whole collection; it never deletes a recipe.

For each connection we store which assistant it is, which permissions you granted, when you approved it and when it was last used. We do not receive or store your conversation with the assistant — only the individual requests it makes to us, such as “save this recipe”. What the assistant does with your recipes at its own end is governed by that provider's privacy policy, not this one.

You can see every connection and revoke any of them at any time at cookandscale.com/settings/connections. Revoking takes effect immediately and the assistant loses access; recipes it already added stay in your account until you remove them. Deleting your account removes all of your connections with it.

Data retention and security

We keep account information and the content you create for as long as your account exists, and otherwise as reasonably necessary for the purposes in this policy or as required by law. We take reasonable measures to protect information, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your choices

You can delete your account at any time from your settings. Doing so removes your personal data and the private content associated with your account; any recipes you had published are anonymised rather than shown under your name. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights regarding your information — to ask a question or make a request, contact us at the address below.

Children

The Service is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children. By using the Service, you confirm that you are old enough to do so under the laws of your country. We do not knowingly collect information from children; if you believe a child has provided information, please contact us.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Cook and Scale is run by Jarkko Sissala, Finland. Questions about your data: [email protected].

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at [email protected].