How hot is yad soledet? And did how did they measure it before thermometers?
126 degrees is hot enough to be considered cooking at Yad soledet.
They tested with their hands. Like we did to get that number for you. 
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My thermometer shows a high of 126.7 sometimes, is the number strict?
In what scenario?
I’m testing the temp for shabbat.
The number that I’m giving you is 125. It can possibly be a little higher than that, but I can’t confirm. I recommend you stay at or below 125 to not be considered cooking.
Thank you for clarifying. I wouldn’t cook an instant noodle soup on 125, makes sense.
I recently read the Ben Ish Chai’s opinion that “one can know if something is not yad soledet bo if one can put it in one’s mouth without exceeding the normal limitations of the food being too hot for one to eat or drink.” I was always interested about the world of halacha before thermometers, timepieces, and scientific accuracy – how the first generations to implement such technology came up with the absolute numbers for halacha.
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