I voted pallet, as in wet. However it is in storage ATM so when I rarely get to painting lately, I use either a glazed white ceramic tile or a plastic white grocery bag around a book or CD/DVD cover. I really like the bag method, suprised I don\'t hear more people using it. Got the idea from the local GW redshirts, they\'re always doing it with the green GW bags when they paint in store.
I really wanna get one of those plastic or ceramic pallets with the multiple cups. Will sometime very soon.
Re: throwing away pallets. After scraping off what you can, just soak it with your dishes for 30 mins or a couple hours for really bad messes. Should clean right up, completely free. Cheaper than tinfoil or glue even. Might wanna keep the dishrag you use for it seperate though.
Re: ceramics absorbing moisture. Try the glazed ceramic tiles or pallets. Liquid stays in a nice puddle on the top. They\'re grrrrrrrrrrreat. <==Tony the Tiger voice.