Tell me how to finish kitchen cabinets

everyone has different opinions about finishing,for kitchen cabinets I use a good stain and cover it with three coats of water base polyurathane,just because clean up is easier than oil base.Also I use oil base stain,it seems to soak in better. I also apply stain with a rag rather than a brush, I can’t see appling it with a brush then wiping the excess off with a rag.

Thanks for the info. What technique do you use to apply the polyurathane layers after the stain? And what about the inside cabinet? It seems most have a clear coat of some kind. What is that and how does it usually get applied?

I like to brush on the poly and scuff it between coats.I also use poly isside the cabinets.Some of the unfinished cabinets I have seem needed to be sanded quite a bit before I would even start finishing.where ever they where routed was always rough.so check them over good before you start any finish.