The butcher's tray has many uses in the studio from something to throw tools in, to a large palette cup for encaustic. The white porcelain enamel coating makes the perfect surface for mixing colors when matching a previous color is at its most difficult. Standard palettes tend to be gray or black, as well as palette cups; white is also a preferred surface color for painting and mixing. However, it is important to note the butcher's tray is not without flaws or up to preference. The convex body makes paint flow to the sides of the pan; good for some tasks, bad for others. Even the small pans are fairly large for palette cups. Also, while working with encaustic place the tray directly on the palette and treat it as a palette cup. Do not try to use it directly as a palette because it is hard to regulate the temperature and will over-heat; this is due to the thin body of the tray. Good or not, the butchers tray is nice inexpensive tool to have around.
