Solid wood is best because the material is more durable and the joints used to construct the four sides will be stronger. The thicker the wood sides the better.

Drawer bottoms should be at least ¼" thick plywood. If the plywood has a durable melamine layer that is a nice feature. Drawers that are wider than 30 inches should have thicker bottoms or an extra support piece under the center.

It's best if the joint used at the corners of the drawers has some sort of interlocking feature, like dovetails, a locking rabbet joint, or even dowels.

Most cabinet manufacturers now use Euro-style slides that fit along each side of the drawer and roll smoothly on roller bearings.

Another respectable slide that is becoming popular is the undermount guide. It uses two slides that are similar in construction to the side mount slides but they attach completely out of sight under the drawer.

Most drawers that are outfitted with Euro-style slides are of the three-quarter-extension type. You will not be able to pull the drawers all the way out, but three-quarters of the way is usually enough. Full-extension slides are nice, but a kitchen full of them can be expensive, so you might want to put them on only a few drawers.

When you compare specifications make sure that the drawers you buy are rated for at least 75 lb.
 

Plywood shelves are considerably stiffer than particleboard of the same thickness.

Adjustable shelving is more desirable than fixed shelving.

In the standard base cabinet, it is common to have a single shelf that is only half as deep as the cabinet, but some cabinet lines give you the option of a full-depth shelf. Better yet are slide-out shelves.

Plastic Laminate
Plastic laminate doors are made of the same sheet material used on countertops. Plastic laminate is used on flat door styles. The material is glued to both sides of a wood-composite coreboard, and the edges are banded with a matching vinyl strip.

The advantage of plastic laminate doors is that it is durable and easy to clean. The disadvantage is that if the vinyl edge band is abused, it can chip off.

Some doors that look like plastic laminate doors really are not. What you get is not true laminate but a thin paper with a coating of melamine, similar to the coating of melamine on the inside of some cabinets. Although, melamine on the inside of cabinets is just fine, it doesn't have anywhere near the durability of true plastic-laminate.

Vinyl-Clad
Vinyl-Clad doors also known as Thermofoil doors have become popular. The vinyl is a sheet of PVC plastic that is heated up and formed around a door blank of MDF. Thermofoil usually looks like raised-panel wood doors; the design is cut into the door blank using computer-operated routing machines. When the vinyl is applied, it conforms to the shape and wraps around the edges.

Wood
Most people still want wood doors in their kitchens. People like the "warmth" of woods and like the idea of using a natural material. Yet because it is a natural material it is never perfectly uniform in appearance. Random grain patterns and mineral discolorations are to be expected, especially if the wood doors you select have a clear finish on them.

On better quality wood doors, the natural grain color and patterns will be more carefully matched up. If you do not want a lot of grain to appear you can opt for a darker stain, which helps to obscure the natural color variations in the wood.

If you like painted doors, keep in mind that a frame-and-panel door that is painted will develop a hairline crack where the rail and stiles of the door frame meet. It is not a structural problem but may be an aesthetic one.

Wood doors are relatively durable, depending on the type and hardness of the wood. The three most popular woods are oak, maple, and cherry - all three are considerably harder than pine.

Doors & drawer fronts consists of the following types:

• Standard
  ¾" thermofoil, MDF, raised panel door, or ¾" raised or recessed oak or maple veneer over a furniture board panel inserted in a ¾" solid oak or maple frame
• Upgrade 1
  ¾" solid oak, maple, cherry raised center panel inserted in a ¾" matching solid hardwood frame
• Upgrade 2
  Recessed ¼" panel doors in Maple, Cherry or Hickory inserted in a matching ¾" hardwood frame

There is a stigma attached to particleboard due to its historic use as a material for lower grade cabinets. However, particleboard has great dimensional stability, so that cabinets go together square and true and stay that way for a great many years. Particleboard also costs less than plywood. However particleboard will swell if water stays in contact with it and rot away faster than other wood products. The problem usually occurs in sink bases or on shelves with glasses and dishes that are put away before they are completely dry.

If you buy particleboard get the thickest particleboard you can afford. Better cabinets have a 4-mil vinyl to protect the particleboard from damage. Make sure the shelves are adjustable and at least 5/8" thick. Look for well made drawers, good hardware and a good finish on the doors.

If you intend to sell your house, plywood cabinets are a selling feature.