It’s that time of year again – it’s championship weekend! This weekend the NFL will determine their champions for the 2021-2022 season. For the second time in just as many years, the hosting field’s team will be playing in the big game, as the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals. While there is a lot of talk surrounding the halftime show and the debuting ads, we’re over here talking about the food!
What makes the Big Game great is the experience of it all, the atmosphere you create when you bring good friends together with great food. That’s right, this is a holiday for food, and Instacart recently released its annual Snacktime Report, detailing what game day party-goers say they will be enjoying while watching Sunday’s game. Here are some of the key findings:
- Chips Reign
- Due to their maximizing dip capacity, Tostitos Scoops Tortilla Chips are the #1 chip shoppers order in preparation for the big game.
- Wings Fly In
- The number of orders for chicken wings doubled leading up to the 2021 championship game, with 1 in 25 customers adding them to their pre-game order.
- Maryland is the #1 state when it comes to wing purchases with 6% of carts containing wings, while North Dakota is last with only 2.3% of cart purchases containing wings.
- Dips on Top
- 66% of planned chip-eating Americans said they will do so with some sort of dip, the most popular choices being:
- Salsa – 64%
- Queso – 50%
- Guacamole – 47%
- 66% of planned chip-eating Americans said they will do so with some sort of dip, the most popular choices being:
But let’s not forget about everyone’s favorite grab-and-go options – pizza! According to Instacart:
“In the week leading up to the Big Game, Instacart sells enough frozen pizza to create one massive pizza pie with a diameter the size of three football fields.”
Talk about one tasty fun fact! But, of course, we would be missing out if we didn’t talk about how honey can take your favorite game day eats to the next level, so we’re here with our best honey hacks and 12 tasty recipes that will show you how to score big this weekend with honey!
So much more than just a sweetener, all-natural honey performs a slew of tasks, ensuring that your game day party will win in the good eats department:
- As an emulsifier, honey acts as a binder and thickener for sauces, dressings, marinades and dips.
- There is nothing worse than pulling a burger off the grill just to have it be as dry as a hockey puck; well honey can help with that! With its humectant properties, honey helps lock in moisture for the most succulent meat, like wings, meatballs and pulled pork.
- While honey can most definitely be the star of any recipe, it is a VIP because of the supporting role it plays, balancing the flavors of other ingredients, like taming the heat in your buffalo wings. Honey also helps mask bitter notes in beverages.
And don’t forget beverages to wash them all down with. According to Instacart, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage for game day, taking 8 of the top 10 spots (the survey did not explore non-alcoholic beverage options). For the beer lovers in the house, be sure to check out our simple and delicious Honey Shandy, and for the little ones (and non-consuming adults) we suggest our tasty Lemonade Honey Punch, easy to make for a crowd.
But we want to hear from you! Will you be tuning into the big game this weekend? Will you be attending a Big Game party with all the good eats? Do you have a go-to game day recipe? We’d love to hear all about your big game plans in the comments below!
