PORTLAND, Maine — Super Bowl Sunday is one of the busiest home-cooking days of the year, and safety data shows the most dangerous moment isn’t kickoff — it’s halftime.
Halftime is when kitchens surge back to life. Food is reheated, knives come out again, blenders are restarted and ovens are reopened — all while attention snaps back to the television. Parents move quickly, multitask and assume they will only step away for a moment.
That moment matters.
Data tied to Super Bowl weekend consistently shows a rise in kitchen-related injuries, with lacerations and burns making up the majority of reported cases. Cuts from knives, burns from ovens and contact with hot surfaces are the most common injuries — and they are most often linked to distraction and rushed food preparation.
One repeat offender is guacamole. National injury tracking has documented tens of thousands of emergency room visits over the years tied specifically to avocado-related hand injuries, many occurring during large food-prep events like the Super Bowl.
In Maine, winter conditions add pressure. Families are indoors for long stretches, kitchens are crowded and counter space fills quickly with food, packaging and appliances. During halftime, foot traffic through the kitchen increases just as focus drops.
Parents often don’t view this as risky because it feels routine. Cooking feels familiar. Kids are nearby. The game is paused. But safety officials point to divided attention — not lack of experience — as the leading factor behind these injuries.
Most Super Bowl-related kitchen accidents don’t happen after the final whistle. They happen during the busiest stretch, when everyone is rushing to be ready before play resumes.
For families across Portland, Bangor and communities statewide, halftime isn’t just a break in the game. It’s the window when kitchens get hectic, attention slips and small mistakes turn into emergency room visits.
