sub critical temp quench

[ColsonCustoms]

Will a steel become "tough" if quenched below its critical temperature? Specifically asking because of differential heat treating.
I just did a blade where the edge was at critical and the spine was just at the border where a magnet was just starting to stick. Created a nice natural hamon. Is this correct, or does the whole blade need to be brought up to critical temp evenly, and the spine cooled down slower by the use of a coating?

1095, 150 degF peanut oil quench. stuck the whole blade in the oil quickly, tip first. For tempering, gradually brought up from 250 deg to 425 deg in about 45 minutes, then let it soak for 45 minutes. cooled down, then the same gradual increase but to 500 degrees and let soak for another 45 minutes. Thin kitchen blade that I wanted to be nice and springy.

 

[me2]

If the steel isn't above about 1325 F or so, it won't harden even when quenched. If it's still magnetic, but above 1325, it will harden, but likely just a little bit. Tempering the whole thing will take care of that little bit of hardening, most likely.