Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and provide information to website owners.

Cookies allow websites to remember your preferences, login status, and other information to improve your browsing experience.

2. How We Use Cookies

Chef Approved Tools uses cookies and similar technologies to:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Analyze website traffic and user behavior
• Improve our website performance and user experience
• Provide personalized content and recommendations
• Track affiliate link clicks and conversions
• Enable social media features and integrations

3. Types of Cookies We Use

Strictly Necessary Cookies

• Cookie consent: Remembers your cookie preferences
• Security: Protect against cross-site request forgery
• Load balancing: Distribute traffic across servers

Analytics Cookies

• Google Analytics: Tracks page views, user sessions, and site usage
• Performance metrics: Page load times and user interactions
• Traffic sources: How visitors find our website

Functional Cookies

• Newsletter preferences: Remember if you've subscribed
• Display preferences: Remember your preferred view settings
• Product comparisons: Save items for comparison

Marketing/Tracking Cookies

• Amazon Associates: Track affiliate link clicks and purchases
• Social media pixels: Enable social sharing and advertising
• Remarketing: Show relevant ads on other websites

4. Third-Party Cookies

We use several third-party services that may set cookies on your device:

Google Analytics

• Purpose: Website analytics and performance tracking
• Data collected: Page views, session duration, traffic sources
• Privacy policy: Google Privacy Policy

Amazon Associates

• Purpose: Track affiliate purchases and commissions
• Data collected: Click-through data, purchase information
• Duration: Up to 24 hours for attribution

Social Media Platforms

• Purpose: Social sharing buttons and embedded content
• Platforms: May include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
• Data collected: Social interactions and preferences

5. Cookie Duration

Session Cookies

These cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. They help maintain your session during your visit.

Persistent Cookies

These cookies remain on your device until they expire or you delete them. Common durations:

• Analytics cookies: 2 years
• Preference cookies: 1 year
• Marketing cookies: 30-90 days

6. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie consent banner where you can:

• Accept all cookies
• Accept only necessary cookies
• Customize your preferences by cookie type
• Learn more about each cookie category

Browser Settings

You can also control cookies through your browser settings:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data

7. Opt-Out Options

Google Analytics

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by:

• Installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Using our cookie consent banner to disable analytics cookies

Advertising Cookies

Opt out of interest-based advertising through:

• Network Advertising Initiative
• Digital Advertising Alliance
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EU residents)

8. Do Not Track

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" feature. Currently, there is no industry standard for responding to Do Not Track signals, so we do not respond to these signals at this time.

9. Mobile Devices and Apps

On mobile devices, similar technologies to cookies are used:

• Local storage: Stores data locally on your device
• Device identifiers: Unique identifiers for advertising purposes
• SDK tracking: Third-party software development kits for analytics

10. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect cookies or personal information from children under 13.

11. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy periodically. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify users through our cookie consent banner if changes are significant
• Provide clear information about what has changed

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies, please contact us:

13. Related Policies

For more information about how we handle your data, please review:

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Affiliate Disclosure