Mushy beans is the worst case. You did what was necessary to make them safe, just not in the best order. Best to have turned the burner off and waited until you could remove the lid too. Then go for the walk and come back and start over with the processing.

45 mins. isn't long - not like folks who want to leave the jars sitting in it overnight - but you want to avoid letting jars sit in the sealed canner once finished.

Dave

Thank you Dave. Leaving the burner on was a bonehead move; I didn't even think to turn it off. Will you explain why I should have removed the lid from the canner? Is it for food safety reasons or to prevent glass breakage? I'm new to all of this.

The issue is the heat-loving bacteria that can grow in the semi-sealed environment and the fact that while sitting in there the jars release their seals and re-seal off and on. So contamination of the contents from outside air is possible.

Dave