From the attached link: Raised Panel - Solid Even though the panel is called solid, it is not usually made of a single piece of wood. Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, and this can cause the door to split and crack. To counteract the problems of natural movement in a solid wood center panel, the panel is usually constructed using several pieces of solid stock lumber glued together. The wood strips used to construct the panel may not all match in graining and color. As in the case of the slab door, the door's strength comes from the manner in which the pieces of solid wood are reversed as they are glued. The panel is then cut on all four sides, so the center is higher than the edges. The face of the panel is usually flush with the front surface of the stiles and rails, with the edges forming a tongue which fits a corresponding groove cut into the door frame. The groove is slightly larger than the panel's edge to allow the panel to float in the frame. This simply means that the panel has room to expand and contract during humidity changes, reducing the risk of the panel cracking or splitting. I gather from the Woodmode site that this is how they construct raised panel doors as they describe their raised panel doors as being constructed from solid wood. How big an issue the movement of the centre panel in a flat panel door will be probably depends on geography (I have seen some dramatic examples here that am sure would not be acceptable to many folks while I tend to think the hairline cracking I have seen is part of the charm and patina of age of painted cabinetry. In terms of Woodmode they do kiln dry all their wood which may in part explain why they have not have felt they would get better performance from an MDF centre panel that some companies are opting for. I also think it is a market issue a lot of Consumer's in the US have a real aversion to composite wood products regardless of the possible benefits (this does not really carry over to Europe or Canada). Cabico and many other Quebec companies offer 100% MDF doors for paint finishes (same opaque finishes are usually available on maple at Cabico). Lots of their MDF door styles are raised panel. Here is a link that might be useful: Explanation of door styles

The horrible smells were more likely from the finish on the PB piece than the materials it was made of. But that's just a guess. I have painted shaker cabs with wood center panels. My painter put caulking around the inner side of the rails and stiles (all around the interior panel) to alleviate the stress on the paint. So far so good. The cabinet boxes will be made of plywood- which will have lots of glue in it. If you're sensitive, that could be a problem. They do make plywood that uses non-formaldahyde glues. One is called PureBond. It ain't cheap, but ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do. BTW congrats on the impeding arrival!

I don't know anything about these cabinets, but my answer should bump up your question and someone else might answer it more directly. I would think that if the cabinet box is made from plywood the doors would also be made of plywood. However, all of the sellers you list have either phone numbers or live chat methods of contact. Ask your questions directly to them.

MDF is usually medium to light brown in color and has no grain nor does it have any definition. Pressed board and chip board(both being a different color and both having easily seen particles because the materials are made by treating particles/wood chips with adhesive and curing under pressure and heat) are not MDF and should not be confused as such. I have seen OSB referred to as MDF, which it is not. The major problem with MDF is the holding power of screws is much diminished because of the nature of the material. That is why, at least on entry doors, a MDF core door has a wood insert at least on each side. The door I used has an insert a full 2&1/2" thick on each side. The door is 34" by 80" and probably weighs in excess of 80 pounds. I used 2&1/2" screws on the hinge side for the door and 3" screws on the frame side(which went into the studs as well). MDF may be harder, but the edges chip more easily than wood when impacted. There are also LDF(low density fiberboard) and HDF(high density fiberboard) products. HDF is also called hardboard and is usually made in thinner sheets of 1/8" or 1/4" thicknesses. The darker brown boards with holes(often called pegboard) use for hanging things on is HDF. HDF is also used in cabinets, RV's, and even aircraft, among many other uses. LDF is usually referred to as chipboard or particleboard.There are also medium and high density variations of particle board. OSB is not included in this designation as the pieces are larger and oriented by design to provide more strength.