What is the best way to prep and paint kitchen cabinets?

Careful of trends. They can date your home. What do you like? If you like painted cabinets, then yes, your are correct -- lots of work and your process is correct. If you like wood look cabinets, stick with them. Remember, there's nothing new in design. Wait long enough and it's back in style (except bell bottoms, please. What were we thinking?).

If your cabinets are a stained wood, then Ace Hardware carries a product called Restore a Finish. You apply with cheesecloth, like a wood stain or furniture polish, and then wipe off the excess with dry cheesecloth. Your cabinets will look like new. Just restored my birch wood cabinets that way.

Bell bottoms are coming back. They are a short cropped version

Make sure they are clean and dry. Remove the doors and hardware. Mark the doors and cabinets with tape where they go. Lightly sand the doors and cabinets to remove any gloss and roughen the surface for paint with 120- to 220-grit sandpaper. Use a tack cloth or damp rag to remove dust after sanding. Prime with a stain blocking primer like Zinsser 123, KILZ,or BIN and have it tinted to the color of the top coat. This will prevent dark or stained surfaces from showing through the top coat. Acrylic, or water-base, paints are low-fume and clean up easily with water. Alkyd, or oil-base, paints require good ventilation because the paint contains solvents that can irritate your lungs and make you feel sick. Alkyd options require mineral spirits for cleanup, but they provide a hard, durable paint finish. Whichever you use, buy the best-quality paint you can afford for a lasting kitchen cabinet finish. Seal with at least three coats with a water based polyurethane. Use a small foam roller and foam brush for a smooth finish.

Rustoleum has a Transformation for cabinets..everything you might need for painted cabinets, including glazing.

I love painted cabinets...

There is Deglosser to get rid of the gloss on cabinets,rinse well, sand any chipped paint to smooth out, if there is any gouges fill with filler, dry and sand. Use the best paint you can if you are not getting the kit... and at least three coats of a good poly..I recommend Minwax Polycrylic. It dries clear and hard. Others will dry with a yellow tinge.